Henry Hill and Frank Cullota interview on The Ed Bernstein Show

you know you can go to the mob museum that's a great thing to go visit and and observe and have fun but I have with me here to the original guys who were involved with I guess with the mob organized crime at the time Frank Cullotta and Henry Hill and not only are you guys have a very varied past but you also have a very interesting presence because now I mean you involved in the organized crime and getting in and out of jail and drugs and and and hits and things like that and now you're your authors and and an artist why the transition because you want to answer that good you answer first why the change this and I I you know the city can't change life I've literally changed my life I mean uh from being a you know a racketeer you know it being in Iraq it's and being involved in organized crime up until the age I was you know in my thirties I I was a I was not a nice guy well you grew up in what New York Brooklyn yeah right then I got involved in at a very young age who in his clan right but as a kid you're probably in and out of trouble I suspect well you know not not really me because I was with those people mm-hmm yeah I mean they and they was able to get me out of all the trouble that I had got into or was getting into and I and I was working for them you know and that I was just so intoxicated with that lifestyle as a kid I mean it was a you know it was just fascinating from you know from the way I was brought up you know I'm doing my family was brought up I was just it was unbelievable you know for me as a child to see these would have old models in my neighborhood these these gangsters and and they were pretty heavy murder incorporated yeah with poor value you know he was one of the five bosses of New York yeah and you know I was just so impressive and I'm infatuated with it that I fell right into it and then in getting in trouble and going to prison and that that didn't change them not at all I mean in prison was back in his 70s when I went to president in the 80 in 1672 it was a it's not like it is today I don't think I haven't been prisoner one but it was a farce guys it was different than the regular prisoner yeah I mean we lived in a different level than a regular because we was able to else by by our way through the time you know I mean to the time we live pretty well in prison Frank you very well known in Las Vegas came out of Chicago right you were involved it in criminal activity in Chicago you came out why did you come out to Las Vegas I was told I needed to come out there I had watched Tony's back Tony slide show uh Tony and I grew up together in Chicago and and I worked for the outfit in Chicago and Tony needed some help out here he was starting to feel as though his life may be in danger because there was at a cruise moving into the tonight or outfit guys from other states so they sent me out here and to Marlys watch his back and I told Tony when I got out of Isis you know you want me to bring some guys also you know I need an army he said yeah that's why we're going to earn I mean you don't make paychecks it's not like you go to a factory and you get a paycheck you know say says well you've got the okay you can rob bra people muscle bookmakers he says matter of fact that's what I want you to do muscle these renegade bookmakers out areas because I want to be Sitter action he says no run to their boss and then the boss will fill me in on the piece of their action so that's actually what I was out there for and then you transition you got involved in this hole in the wall gang which was that was part of our crew they labeled us the hole-in-the-wall gang because we were making a lot of entries into homes and businesses by making a hole in the wall instead of we bypassed the alarm right either coming through the wall or thrown from the ruler raffia yeah why did what are you resorts of that type of crime instead of the shaking down and why did you do the burglaries and get involved in going up here so you're living Vegas you spent a lot of money in Vegas you know you do a lot of gambling to do a lot of party and you know so and you couldn't just do one thing all the time I mean how many armed robberies could you do how many burglaries could you do how many people could you shake down so you just broke it up isn't there's not isn't there enough money and in the bookmaking and the drugs and the prostitution and some of the other typical kind of activities yeah I own want to say one thing I left out I did try I did open up a restroom in Vegas but once the metro found out I owned a restaurant in Vegas they wouldn't leave us alone they I mean I had a lot of people coming in their bosses from casinos and they were scared to come in there they didn't want to lose their gaming license I even had Wayne Newton get showings two times in the parking lot and they were told him you know you're going into hoodlum places I like the food you know he's I don't pay attention on people I just like the food but actually with all the heat we were getting and we were trying to be legit they forced me to even work harder than stealing I had the reversal read through ultimately both of you went into witness protection that's right programs is you for a short period of time seven years actually it wasn't her the veteran period and you remember one day yeah how does that work take me take me through it I mean you change your name a couple of times I had my name change three different times I I can say one thing about witness protection it worked for me at the time I saved my life and my family's like okay so you had children at the time yes you had with three children two children - children yes and how old are your children at that time nine and eleven now how do you explain to your children that hey were changing where we live changing our names and who we are and had a head of the kids you know keep that secret it was quite difficult and I mean there was a whole process that we had to go through you know we it took about a month you know for us to go to a neutral site with a you know and oddly we taught us how to live you know under these assumed these different names and you know I mean my kids they were old enough to understand you know what was happening but they were leaving their friends they must have been very you know unhappy about that I mean it was horrible for them for my family it was horrible for them it was quite you know much easier for myself but for them you know but I could not leave behind because God knows what happened to him I mean they tried to kill my wife one time you know I knew the way these people operate and the way they thought and you know I knew that for them to get to me they will go to my children or other members of my family well why did why were they after you so badly why well little Thunder we we had word booth on two airlines in 1978 and it was largest cash cash waabri in a state's history is right yeah eight million dollar in place and a couple million in diamonds and stuff and all of the you know the there was eleven people killed after the robbery by the bosses who I mean was over greed money I you know they just said the bosses wanted to keep all the money when I you know realized how much it was because we we didn't expect that that kind of money we expect a couple million dollars anybody was supposed to get to certain amount but it was such a huge score and and then people started just about everybody who said he knew that you know Jimmy Boyd Kapoor Valles crew did it you know and they couldn't prove it well I anyway I was the last one left alive best man standing yes basically I was the last man standing she get a lot of money for host not what I was supposed to get no I got a few hundred thousand but and you know I mean I was closed to it I was positive million as was everyone else that was involved but like I said the bosses the greed took over and they you know and they started just killing everybody yeah I mean both even mentioned how greedy um this business is did you make a lot of money I did you did yeah I made a lot of money spent a lot of money made a lot of money how did you so you got a lot of cash obviously and and then you have to then deal with I assume not filing tax returns right right and you get you get in trouble for that if you don't if you don't file a tax return they don't know your which are making right so I never fill out no tax returns at the time you know and I put the money in different businesses and stuff anything everything I had was not in my name right so did you ultimately have charges brought against you for tax evasion you know no never had none of them charges brought against me it was actually uh they were investigating me for murders robbers I should mention before I forget that Henry Hill you have this movie Goodfellas based upon York you I guess to certain extent right I mean you have a spoke gangsters and good fellows Henry Hill the mob witness protection and life on the run and Frank your book is a life of Caleta on the life of Chicago criminal Las Vegas mobster and government witness what's it like when how does it work when the federal government comes to you maybe it was local law enforcement it came to and asked engaged in that conversation about going into witness protection well if you're asking me first I they approached me raw was in the Clark County Jail and the the feds that and he said to me is that there was a contract out of my life and I looked at him and I left and I says bull as I know what you guys are up to as he's trying to get me to role as ain't gonna happen he said this is our Rosato he's like we're compelled to tell you this I sorry I still don't believe so while I was in there I got a made a couple calls out there and I found out how my family was being treated by my associates in other words they weren't taking care of him right and you you had a fat your family at the time consisted of when I my the woman I was married to and her two kids which were boy and a girl all right so I was upset and I was upset at Tony because he didn't to put up the money he was supposed to put up for the process that he appeal but for attorneys fees and that type of thing yeah and I had paid all this money into it and he wasn't contributing at all to any of it making bail by you know baiance for everybody and I was doing this all with my firm with my own money for my partners and myself and of course the guy was angry I start thinking what I seem too many guys go to jail your front patch in a behavior he's a good guys of size stand-up guy right here in jail doing lifer here in the grave your legs going thank you you bring you to your own funeral you know so I made that decision I called feds up and he was there you know a federal building for Clark County jails maybe fifteen minutes away I think he was there five seconds next thing I know he was there and he come in and he didn't read me my rights he just asked me a bunch of questions and they were trying to get around to murders see that's that's when they figured I got you locked in you know you could talk about all the crew crooked things are done but murder is a big thing with them the family you got to that and I was still hesitant you know now I'm really worried you know I don't know what's going on I'm dealing with these guys they chased me all my life I don't really like them so and then I I rolled you know I had that time I roll did you trust them at the time now I didn't trust him for a long time and that's the most hardest part about it as Henry will tell you you're doing would think people that shot you in the head they would have put you in jail forever right you know that they're trying to just get ahead in life themselves and all si didn't trust them I but once you start trusting them dead they never lied to me and I'm sure they never lie to Henry absolutely they never lie to you so you become friendly with them because you're not nobody else to turn to anymore you know you just got to talk to yeah you got to rely on them so that's what happened you know I start relying on them and they became my friends as a matter of fact one during his agents that lives in Las Vegas no Dennis Arnold Lee whom was retired is a very good friend of mine I know him and his family so then you had to discuss this with your family about going into the witness protection what was their very difficult very very difficult that's probably one of the hardest things they had to do in my life was to make a call to my first I call my family my mother and my brother and my sister they couldn't believe that I was doing this they thought I was had gotten tortured you know and controlling it they don't know us I don't know no ice it's hard to explain you know I said but there's nothing going to happen to you because Chicago people they don't hurt the family of the guys that rolled they have this code you know but then I had to tell my wife and she immediately said yes don't worry about it I'm with you the kids were too difficult part and Helen during your children at the time my daughter oh my daughter at the time my daughter for my first marriage really never lived with me because when she was six months old my first wife took the kid and got remarried and they moved off so I didn't see that daughter until she was like 18 years old so that was she was not in my life at all there was the step kids that I I tried to be their father too you know and they were the difficult part to get into program because they were born and raised in Nevada and they're all their friends rare so eventually the boy went and then eventually the boy went out then eventually the girl went done eventually the girl came to us with pregnancy and it was a hassle with the kids it really was a hassle you know my name is are her children she's not going to leave her children for me you know right now as you are you allowed to contact your your your parents your having your wife I mean you have to have any contact with her family that's the rough part is and Reno's you there's no pictures you can't send pictures you can't your nice was to call you look you're sick it's all you want to stay alive these are things the rules you have to follow the marshal just tells you do this do that do this if you send pictures if you do get a picture sent make sure there's not a phone book there because people see that stuff they could read the writing and the phone book don't know what state you're so you manage your own life so it was difficult to control them because you know you know dead they want to talk to her parents you know their wife's and kid our fathers and mothers so it was really rough the Henry yeah I mean definitely I mean it was it was more of a problem for my family than it was for me I mean you know I would believe that I was relieved when I went in what is Beck's program I mean did they want to kill my wife that opportunity almost that Dan was got her at one point and I you know and I knew it I was raised with these people all my life you know from remarried the age of nine to ten I knew the way they thought the way they operated I you know I'd seen it done before to other people what they would do so I knew the capability of them and I was I was very scared for my family yeah did you have a job I mean you go into witness protection you go to a different city how do you live $1,500 a month subsistence that's what I was given from two children and myself and my wife it was it was difficult but we survived you know my wife went on to make a living and I when I could work most of the time I could not work I was being debriefed probably two weeks left every month I would be in a custody of the marshals or the US Attorney's Office at a neutral site or back in New York and so I was a teenager yeah I I was incapable of having a job I was testifying 10 cases I was involved with 10 major cases in New York and it was difficult it was difficult but it was you know it was a process for me to go through and to forgive myself for what I was doing you know you know that did I finally realized I was doing the right thing I know I was doing the right thing and they asked me nothing but just to tell the truth and that's why I want up with ten cases because you know they debrief me and they were pretty intelligent with it I mean they know debrief someone and and they start another case on another case on different different areas of subjects that you know just not debriefing conversations just keep snowballing yeah exactly helping the beginner Williams yeah what do you see a movie like Goodfellas uh um is it accurate ninety five point nine percent accurate I mean we didn't have it did none of it wasn't ballast in fact if anything was toned down because I mean it it was a violent violent way of life green lakota Ray Liotta yeah really excellent job and I wanted up you're happier and yeah spend any time with him not before the movie excellent movie I did but Marty Scorsese didn't want me to influence him in any way but when the movie was finished then we kind of became friends you know I was able to sit down and meet with him and he did a fantastic job yeah great film and how about uh hockey with casino I'd say about the same percentage ninety five and a half percent uh old with Henry he was unable to interact with them they wanted me to interact with Frank Vincent and I had adult De Niro how left he was I guess that lefty Rosenthal sort of a little resistant and making his appearance he actually never made an appearance so they needed me as an advisor on the movie so I did spend six months on the set here in Las Vegas you know doing the movie with them and Marty is a perfectionist and as far as portraying they have to change things around what violence scenes whatever they had I have to change them Iran to get it onto the screen you know close to the lingo like in one part Frank Vincent said something about where they call it we call it merge stolen still merchandise we say Smerch they call it swag our swag so they said schwag I said old wait a minute they don't say swag in Chicago or excuse my French don't say jerk-off we say jagoff I said he said it's no no no you don't so I had to be up there an enemy correcting us guys are they were Justin and Isis sit next to Scorsese and the thing and people couldn't figure out how I was sitting there because he depended on it for accuracy yeah yeah not because he liked me he just wanted to get a true picture out there you know yeah you were originally represented by Oscar Goodman that's correct then I he continued to represent Tony's pilâtre and you became persona non grata and right yeah Oscar was I had John mama as my lawyer so we couldn't bump John mama off the case it would have been like it slap in his face so we used Oscar as a coal attorney you know in other words he worked with mama of course he gave him the orders and ask you he did a good job now Oscar and I don't get along no because now you don't know I mean he don't hate me I don't hate him but he made a big deal at the time I recall yeah he's defending his clients you know I mean he said there's no organized crime come on you know that but what is he going to say yet Tony's a gangster he can't say that he's dead the right thing so in turn I teach them I said the guys weren't a phony Rolex watch and then his comeback was I had a guy don't even know how to make a tie and that meaning me right he's and a reason why were four knee watches because he grabbed me but I think that's was a great mayor otter I don't know what a liar but I thought he was a great mayor yeah it was there and and now with the mob museum I mean things seem as if life has a funny way of calling around in circles yeah yeah I mentioned the beginning to shows that not only till you get involved in writing books but you also do some painting yeah we have got to get a picture of something you painted oh yeah right yeah to me it's therapy I do art work you know and it's for sale on eBay you know ma bought on eBay but to be it's therapy I mean it y li and it's all scenes from the movie and it's a you know it's very inexpensive it's cute you know and it helps pay the bills so so what is life like now I mean you you from time to time you come to Las Vegas you sit down have dinners with groups of people that you have to pay to eat with you and talk to you and you've seen both these things already opened very mellow hey life is great now I mean Andreo said it you know we don't have to look over our shoulder anymore for the cops are our friends you know I mean it's Pleasant no more headaches we get to communicate with legitimate people and it's amazing how many people are interested in organized crime we're where we are able to convey a message to these people that it's not all that glamorous you know it has it's good bad like anything else if you look around it to legitimate white crime guys they'd probably does more damage than we did to people for eight we didn't go to people and say take my money and I want so much back they come to us begging for a loan right yeah any both now speak to youth organizations right the detention Education Center yeah I try to work with children as much as possible and you know let them know that they can change their life they're involved in that that world you know what gangs and then like nonsense that they get involved in that they could change their life and you know they if I can reach one kid out of a out of 100 you know my day is made and and and then that one kid could change the world the mob stole around in this country absolutely it's Iran but uh I'm sure it's not as strong as a at least from Chicago I'm sure that it's not as stronger and organized as it used to be any but it seems like now it's uh there's a Mexican mob of Russian life any more violent than I I think the word I was bitter up these guys he's and Mexicans they kill everybody pretty much so yeah yes tougher and how about in Sicily in Italy still a pretty big mob fashion trend probably always like well I like that over there yeah yeah you know wherever you get you know wherever you get corruption like Chicago it's a corrupt city you know and you can reach people you know more soda and I believe in New York I mean the whole city was corrupt you can buy Senate seats there you can buy a Senate seat in Chicago your head over you know two books suck Calero which you can get sure laws on say in bookstores iBookstore anymore it's just Barnes and Noble or Amazon online and and also gangsters and Goodfellas Henry Hill thank you so much guys it was qui - going on and on you got a lot of stories but you can catch something from time to time go have dinner with them and a director sting guess we'll see you next week

Channel: The Ed Bernstein Show

Views: 587,040

Keywords: Henry Hill, Frank Cullota, Goodfellas, Ray Liotta, Las Vegas, Mob, mobsters, Mafia, Gangster, Robert De Niro, Spilatro, Joe Pesci, heist, witness, Organized Crime, Chicago mob, hole in the wall gang, casino, wiseguy, Lucchese, crime, family, FBI, informant, Police, racketeer, corrupt, Murder, Casino, Casino (film), Edward M. Bernstein, Exclusive, Interview, Personal Injury Lawyer (Profession), Lawyer (Profession), Auto Accident Lawyer, The Ed Bernstein Show

Id: reWCysCREQs

Length: 26min 59sec (1619 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 13 2012