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

by Dennis Griffin, Frank Cullotta, Michael Taylor, et al.

Book Overview

From burglary to armed robbery and murder, infamous bad guy Frank Cullotta not only did it all, in Cullotta he admits to it--and in graphic detail.

This no-holds-barred biography chronicles the life of a career criminal who started out as a thug on the streets of Chicago and became a trusted lieutenant in Tony Spilotro's gang of organized lawbreakers in Las Vegas. Cullotta's was a world of high-profile heists, street muscle, and information--lots...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0929712455
• ISBN13: 9780929712451
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Huntington Press
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

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 organized crime. This book was made possible by the fact that Cullotta was apprehended and sentenced to a long prison sentence. His life was threatened by the very people he partnered in crime with. He decided to turn Government witness in exchange for protection of his life, and the promise of a new start in life. This book provides an intimate glimpse into the mind of a man who early in life made a decision to live on the illegal side of the law. This led to a journey in which he lived the full spectrum of criminal life, from burglary and robbery to murder. This journey took him from Chicago to Las Vegas, where he came under the influence of Tony Accardo, the mob boss. Although he always refused entreaties to join the mafia, he wanted to retain independence and worked on his own, while paying his dues to the mob bosses. This book is well written, and reads easily and quickly. Cullotta's story is rivetting, and is told in a straight forward manner. The over reaching message is that Cullotta, as well as many of his associates, were highly intelligent people, and had they applied the same energy and brain power to legitimate enterprises, society would have benefited. Cullotta came out of Witness Protection, and began a straight career, and at he end of the book, speaks of how lucky he is, and how much he loves his new career. Highly recommended!

The book Cullotta told me who killed my father 27 years ago

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

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.....

Reading this book puts you in the confession booth of Frank Cullotta

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.

A Hitman Responds

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.