Las Vegas Mobster John Spilotro’s Former Home on the Market

Want to own a slice of Mob history? The former home of Las Vegas mobster John Spilotro is up for sale. Spilotro was the lesser-known brother of vicious Mafia enforcer Tony “The Ant” Spilotro, who inspired Joe Pesci’s character in the movie Casino.

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom property at 3179 Desmond Avenue, Las Vegas, is on the market for $550K. It features a “massive” rear yard with a 2,392 square-foot pool with a zip line, plus a rock-climbing wall and a skydeck loft net, according to the listing.

Spilotro owned the house with his wife, Arlene, from 1975 to 2002. Some of those outdoor amenities were added later, so if you’re imagining a zip-lining, rock-climbing mobster, you’re probably off the mark.

Profit-Skimming

Like his more infamous brother, Spilotro moved to Las Vegas from Chicago in the 1970s. Tony Spilotro, a Chicago Outfit capo, was sent to the city to oversee profit skimming operations at the Outfit’s four Nevada casinos, The Stardust, The Fremont, The Hacienda, and The Marina.

“[John and Arlene] bought this home when it was prime real estate and at the height of their new entrance of coming into money,” listing agent Kyle Simmons told The Las Vegas Review-Journal. “They literally lived through and mourned their two brothers’ deaths while living at this house. Local neighbors in the past who still remember the old days recall the stories of mobsters coming over to the home,” Simmons added.

Tony’s “extra-curricular activities” with the gang may have hastened his demise. He and another brother, Michael, disappeared on June 14, 1986.

A month later, they were found buried together in an Indiana cornfield. They had been stripped to their underwear and beaten to death.

Federal Charges

Just months earlier, both John and Tony had been tried on federal racketeering charges, but the prosecution fell apart after the court ruled crucial evidence couldn’t be submitted. That’s because a search warrant used to obtain the evidence failed to specify the criminal conduct of which the men were suspected.

It’s not clear whether John, who would now be in his eighties, is still alive.