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Frank Cullotta
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Frank Cullotta
Frank John Cullotta (December 14, 1938 – August 20, 2020) was an American mobster who was an associate of the Chicago Outfit through Tony Spilotro and a member of the Hole in the Wall Gang burglary ring in Las Vegas. After his arrest in 1982, he became a government witness and entered the witness protection program. Cullotta later became an author and a tour guide.
He died on August 20, 2020, from complications related to COVID-19.
Cullotta was born on December 14, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, to Josephine Montedore and Joseph Raymond Cullotta. Cullotta's father was also a criminal, although not connected with the Chicago Outfit. Cullotta dropped out of Steinmetz High School in the ninth grade, and started a criminal career together with boyhood friend Tony Spilotro, engaging in theft, burglary, and murder.
In 1962, Cullotta indirectly participated in the killings of William McCarthy and James Miraglia, who were both found dead in the trunk of a car on May 14, 1962. McCarthy's head had been placed in a vise and his throat slashed, while Miraglia was strangled.
In 1968, Cullotta was convicted of burglary and sentenced to eight years in prison. In 1972, he was paroled by the state, but was transferred to Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute to serve the federal portion of his sentence. After six months, he was transferred to a halfway house, ultimately being released in 1974.
In early 1979, Cullotta moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to join Spilotro, who had already been there since 1971, with his group of experienced thieves, safecrackers, and killers. The burglary crew became known in the media as the "Hole in the Wall Gang" because of its penchant and skill for gaining entry to homes and buildings by drilling through the exterior walls and ceilings of the locations they burgled. In Las Vegas, Cullotta was nicknamed "Frank Seville" because he drove a Cadillac Seville.
On October 10, 1979, on Tony Spilotro's orders, Cullotta killed his former friend and grand jury witness Sherwin "Jerry" Lisner in Las Vegas. Lisner was suspected of informing to a grand jury the details on a money exchange scam he was working on with Cullotta. When he became a federal witness, Cullotta admitted he had killed Lisner, on orders from Tony Spilotro.
On July 4, 1981, the Hole in the Wall Gang attempted to burglarize Bertha's Gifts & Home Furnishings, a high-end store, on East Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas. The robbery was a bust, as the FBI and the Las Vegas Metro police had an inside informer named Sal Romano in the gang. Much of the gang was arrested in and around Bertha's, including Cullotta, ex-Metro officer Joe Blasko, Leo Guardino, Ernest Davino, Lawrence Neumann, and Wayne Matecki – each man was charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted grand larceny, and possession of burglary tools.
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Frank Cullotta
Frank John Cullotta (December 14, 1938 – August 20, 2020) was an American mobster who was an associate of the Chicago Outfit through Tony Spilotro and a member of the Hole in the Wall Gang burglary ring in Las Vegas. After his arrest in 1982, he became a government witness and entered the witness protection program. Cullotta later became an author and a tour guide.
He died on August 20, 2020, from complications related to COVID-19.
Cullotta was born on December 14, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, to Josephine Montedore and Joseph Raymond Cullotta. Cullotta's father was also a criminal, although not connected with the Chicago Outfit. Cullotta dropped out of Steinmetz High School in the ninth grade, and started a criminal career together with boyhood friend Tony Spilotro, engaging in theft, burglary, and murder.
In 1962, Cullotta indirectly participated in the killings of William McCarthy and James Miraglia, who were both found dead in the trunk of a car on May 14, 1962. McCarthy's head had been placed in a vise and his throat slashed, while Miraglia was strangled.
In 1968, Cullotta was convicted of burglary and sentenced to eight years in prison. In 1972, he was paroled by the state, but was transferred to Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute to serve the federal portion of his sentence. After six months, he was transferred to a halfway house, ultimately being released in 1974.
In early 1979, Cullotta moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to join Spilotro, who had already been there since 1971, with his group of experienced thieves, safecrackers, and killers. The burglary crew became known in the media as the "Hole in the Wall Gang" because of its penchant and skill for gaining entry to homes and buildings by drilling through the exterior walls and ceilings of the locations they burgled. In Las Vegas, Cullotta was nicknamed "Frank Seville" because he drove a Cadillac Seville.
On October 10, 1979, on Tony Spilotro's orders, Cullotta killed his former friend and grand jury witness Sherwin "Jerry" Lisner in Las Vegas. Lisner was suspected of informing to a grand jury the details on a money exchange scam he was working on with Cullotta. When he became a federal witness, Cullotta admitted he had killed Lisner, on orders from Tony Spilotro.
On July 4, 1981, the Hole in the Wall Gang attempted to burglarize Bertha's Gifts & Home Furnishings, a high-end store, on East Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas. The robbery was a bust, as the FBI and the Las Vegas Metro police had an inside informer named Sal Romano in the gang. Much of the gang was arrested in and around Bertha's, including Cullotta, ex-Metro officer Joe Blasko, Leo Guardino, Ernest Davino, Lawrence Neumann, and Wayne Matecki – each man was charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted grand larceny, and possession of burglary tools.
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