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Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness
 
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Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness [Paperback]

Dennis N. Griffin (Author), Frank Cullotta (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
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Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness + The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law Vs. the Mob + Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled the Chicago Mob
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mystery and nonfiction writer Griffin covered the Vegas reign of kingpin Tony the Ant Spilotro in The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. the Mob. Digging deeper into mob history, he now focuses on Spilotro's lifelong pal, career criminal Cullotta, who appeared in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film, Casino, recreating an actual murder he committed in 1979. Spilotro and Cullotta met in Chicago as teenage troublemakers, and early chapters detail the violent escapades of Cullotta's youth before he escalated to major crimes. Spilotro rose in the ranks of the mob and became the Chicago Outfit's man in Las Vegas, and Cullotta eventually joined him, running a robbery and murder crew. Together, Spilotro and Cullotta extorted illegal bookmakers and drug dealers throughout Vegas. But in the early 1980s, Cullotta became a government witness, bringing down the house. In addition to poring through newspaper archives, Griffin interviewed various sheriffs, attorneys, agents and detectives, while primarily relying on information from retired FBI agent Arnoldy and what Pileggi calls the phenomenal memory of Cullotta himself. Griffin's flat, unemotional yet potent writing makes the bloodletting, murders and mayhem chilling and unnerving throughout. 30 b&w photos. (July 1)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

It soon becomes apparent when reading Griffin's biography that the author has presented a particular non-biased view of the mobster. Cullotta is a name that would strike fear into the hearts of most illegal bookmakers and small-time criminals in both Las Vegas and Chicago, but Griffin attempts to steer clear of such glamorisation...for those who can stomach it, Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster, and Government Witness is a must. Few crime authors have such intimate access to key figures such as Cullotta, so savour Griffin's book while you can: Other than meeting the man himself, there's really no other way to gain such intimate knowledge of one of Vegas' most dangerous and interesting criminals. --Casino Online, UK
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 312 pages
  • Publisher: Huntington Press; First Paperback Edition edition (July 16, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0929712455
  • ISBN-13: 978-0929712451
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #324,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

Dennis N. Griffin
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Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness
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The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law Vs. the Mob by Dennis Griffin Paperback 4.5 out of 5 stars (17)
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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Hitman Responds, July 8, 2007
This review is from: Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness (Paperback)
Bought the book, and went to the booksigning in Las Vegas. Listened to the the co- authors,Denny Griffin and Frank Cullotta explain the rise and fall of the criminal empire in Las Vegas. Fascinating story and well written in Frank Cullotta's own voice. Frank looks like the grandfather living next door. He has a great sense of humor when speaking to the public, but told the reporters and the audience members that questioned him the facts about what really happened - and they're all in the book. Order the book and take an eye-opening peek at the criminal empire the Chicago mob ran in old time Las Vegas.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The book Cullotta told me who killed my father 27 years ago, November 20, 2008
By Paul Scharff (McHenry, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness (Paperback)
I have never written a review for a book before, but I never had a book IMPACT my life like this one. From the book Cullotta, I discovered who killed my father and his barmaid 27 years ago.

My name is Paul and I am the eldest son of Ronald Scharff. My father and Patricia Freeman were killed in Lakemoor, Illinois in 1981 by Larry Neumann. Neumann was one of Frank Cullotta's Hole in the Wall Gang members that my father had the great misfortune of knowing; my father's case in still officially unsolved.

Since reading the book, I have been working to get my father's case closed with a considerable amount of help from Frank Cullotta himself and his co-author, Dennis Griffin. My family and I are deeply grateful for their help. Frank Cullotta has been the only one in the past 27 years that has tried to bring my family and the Freeman's any kind of closure.

Please read this book to learn more about Larry Neumann and his ability to commit multiple murders. Your opinion on this man will help get this case closed. Visit my Facebook Group "McHenry County 1981" to follow my continuing efforts to get closure in the Ronald Scharff and Patricia Freeman case.

Copy and Paste the link below into your browser to Visit my Facebook group "McHenry County 1981"

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=33678349794
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this book puts you in the confession booth of Frank Cullotta, September 8, 2007
By Joe Huggins (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness (Paperback)
Cullotta has to be one of the most prolific criminals in the annals of both Las Vegas and Chicago organized crime. You'll feel like Father Confessor reading this book, where he purges his soul in what has to be the longest string of end-to-end confessions in the history of (dis)organized crime. In this book he joins forces with retired policeman-turned-writer, Dennis Griffin, who dutifully recounts each score and every hit with the cold accuracy of a Seargant Joe Friday writing his police reports. Griffin's style is perfect for this kind of book. There are no high-flown metaphors, "just the facts, ma'am."

While I had second thoughts about paying honest dollars to an admitted life-time thief and killer, I didn't mind giving a few bucks to Griffin, and maybe we can keep Cullotta off the streets with a few royalties from his life story.

Here a career cop has managed to write a good book with the unusual help of his natural enemy, a career criminal and big-time mobster. As for Cullotta, he has managed to somehow outlive most of his enemies, while coming clean with the G, getting witness protection, reduced sentences and now dubious celebrity. He even re-enacted one of his most infamous hits in Scorcese's "Casino" while he was in the witness protection program. Who says crime doesn't pay?

This is one career criminal who seems to have nine lives and then some. He gives the details on each caper in this joint effort that was released simultaneously with the Family Secrets mob trial in Chicago, in which all defendants were convicted on all counts.

Cullotta gives a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the dysfunctional family of crime figures during the mob's heyday in Chicago and Vegas. All the usual suspects are in the book, but seen up close and personal from the perspective of one of their own...the only one that got away.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
This is such a great book! Very well written. Frank Cullotta's life journey is a fascinating read. The book takes you behind the scenes of what mob life is really like. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kimberly Butterbach

2.0 out of 5 stars Bathroom reading
Being a fan of Goodfellas, Casino, and not not missing any of the mafia documentaries on cable (not to mention being from Brooklyn), I was pretty excited to get my hands on this... Read more
Published 3 months ago by A guy from brooklyn

4.0 out of 5 stars Spilotro's Right Hand Man
"Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness" was a great read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by John M. Bitowt Jr.

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is Killer
Frank Cullotta lived the life that has been glorified in movies like "Goodfellas" and "Casino". A career criminal, he rubbed elbows with some of the highest level capo's in... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Scott A. Kallick

4.0 out of 5 stars Cullotta - Life of a Chicago Criminal
Good book. My husband loves these kind of books. He's Italian, what can I say.
Published 11 months ago by Ms. Galli

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick read
This book is very interesting and keeps your attention with quick succession stories of his misdeeds and capers. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Devin Karcy

5.0 out of 5 stars Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness.
Very good book, very detailed and informative. One of the must have books for the true Mafia fan.....
Published 24 months ago by Damian Ruby

3.0 out of 5 stars Not impressed.
I feel a bit dissapointed in Mr. Griffins book. Not the subject matter or the story but the way he paints Cullotta as a family man and a down on his luck bad guy gone good. Read more
Published on August 8, 2008 by Mark Easter

5.0 out of 5 stars An author to follow
Denny Griffin is one of those author's whose works you want to follow. Keep writing, Denny! Rita Schiano, author of Painting the Invisible Man
Published on August 3, 2008 by Rita M. Schiano

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great read by Dennis Griffin
Another well-written, factual and informative book by Dennis Griffin.

This book details the life and crimes of Frank Cullotta before he became an informant and... Read more
Published on June 21, 2008 by limegreencoco

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