The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. The Mob (30 page)
Phil Leone and,
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political campaigns, alleged contributions to,
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pranks played on,
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public’s reaction to,
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raid on house of,
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Sam DeStefano, recruited by,
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shotgun attack on,
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violence, potential for,
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youth of,
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Spilotro, Antoinette,
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Spilotro, John,
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Spilotro, Michael,
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Spilotro, Nancy (nee Stuart),
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Spilotro, Patrick,
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Spilotro, Patsy,
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Spilotro, Vincent,
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Stardust casino,
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Steele, Alfred,
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Stella, Bobby,
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Stoldal, Bob,
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Sundance Hotel & Casino,
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Thomas, Carl,
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Tinker, Grant,
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Tocco, Albert,
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Torrio, Johnny,
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Tropicana casino,
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Union Plaza casino,
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Vadim, Roger,
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Valli, Frankie,
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White, Betty,
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Wilkerson, Billy,
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Williams, Roy,
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Woodward, Joanne,
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Yablonsky, Joseph “Joe”,
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Yale, Frankie,
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Young, Brigham,
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Ziola, Norm,
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About the Author
Dennis N. Griffin retired in 1994 after a 20-year career in investigations and law enforcement in New York State. He and his wife Faith moved to Las Vegas shortly afterward. Dennis wrote his first novel,
The Morgue
, in 1996. He currently has six published mystery thrillers, including the first two books of a Las Vegas-based trilogy. The author is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America, Las Vegas Valley Writers Group, Henderson Writers Group, and the Police Writers Association. For more information, visit
www. authorsden.com/dennisngriffin
.
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“
The Battle for Las Vegas
tells it like it was, and is a story long past due. Even though I was part of those times, I still have trouble believing it actually happened.”
—Sheriff John McCarthy (retired)
Las Vegas Metropolitan
Police Department
KING OF THE STRIP
From the 1970s through the mid-1980s, the Chicago Outfit dominated organized crime in Las Vegas. Unreported revenue, known as the “skim,” from Outfit-controlled casinos made its way out of Vegas by the bagful, ending up in the coffers of the Windy City crime bosses and their confederates around the Midwest.
To ensure the smooth flow of cash, the gangsters installed a front man with no criminal background, Allen R. Click, as the casino owner of record, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal as the real boss of casino operations, and Tony Spilotro as the ultimate enforcer, who’d do whatever it took to protect their interests. It wasn’t long before Spilotro, also in charge of Vegas street crime, was known as the “King of the Strip.”
Federal and local law enforcement, recognizing the need to rid the casinos of the mob and shut down Spilotro s rackets, declared war on organized crime.
The Battle for Las Vegas
relates the story of the fight between the tough guys on both sides, told in large part by the agents and detectives who knew they had to win.
Tony Spilotro’s Hole in the Wall Gang following their 1981 arrest.