Frank Cullotta was born in Chicago in 1938. He began his decades-long criminal career as a teenager, graduating from petty theft to burglary, armed robbery, arson and murder. While growing up he met another young tough on the streets of the Windy City: Tony Spilotro. The two boys became friends and criminal allies. Tony went on to become a made man and feared enforcer of the Chicago Outfit. The Outfit bosses sent him to Las Vegas in 1971 to keep an eye on their casino interests.
After getting established in Sin City, Tony invited his old pal Frank to join him. Frank accepted and functioned as Tony's lieutenant and Right Hand Man. Frank watched his friend's back and formed and ran a crew of burglars, robbers, arsonists, and killers that became known as the "Hole in the Wall Gang". By that time Frank was called "The Boss of Las Vegas".
The two men had a falling out in 1982, and at Tony's request the Chicago bosses approved a contract to have Frank killed. Facing either life in prison for his myriad crimes or death at the hands of Outfit hit men, Frank rolled and became a government witness. His subsequent testimony resulted in the convictions of several of his former associates. He was preparing to testify against Tony Spilotro in June 1986, but Spilotro himself and his Brother was murdered by the Outfit just prior to the trial getting underway.
Under a new identity, Frank lived a isolated Life with no connect to old Friends and Family Members, and he opened and ran a small business and became one of the Witness Protection Programs success stories. In 1995 he was contacted by screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi regarding the Martin Scorsese film Casino. He was hired as a technical consultant to the movie in which actor Joe Pesci played a character based on Tony Spilotro; and Frank Vincent played Frankie, a character based on Frank Cullotta.
