Anthony "Old Man" Spero (February 18, 1929 – September 29, 2008) was an Italian-American mobster who rose to the position of

consigliere Consigliere ( , ; plural ) is a position within the leadership structure of the Sicilian, Calabrian, and Italian-American Mafia. The word was popularized in English by the novel ''The Godfather'' (1969) and its film adaptation. In the novel, a c ...

and acting boss of the

Bonanno crime family The Bonanno crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, and in the United States, as part of the criminal phenomenon known as the A ...

Biography

"Spero was a large man with dark hair, a dark complexion and was good looking in a rough way" Philip Carlo wrote. "He was fair, smart, and exceedingly well versed in the ways of the street". According to the testimony of boss-turned-informant

Joe Massino Joseph Charles Massino (born January 10, 1943) is an American former mobster. He was a member of the Mafia and boss of the Bonanno crime family from 1991 until 2004, when he became the first boss of one of the Five Families in New York City to tu ...

, Anthony Spero was inducted into the

by Carmine Galante on June 14, 1977. The ceremony was held in a Queens bar, and among those inducted were Massino, Joseph Chilli, Jr., Peter Monteleone and several other men. A reserved and low profile man, Spero's

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing Sport, sports, or pursu ...

was breeding racing pigeons in coops on the roof of a Bensonhurst building. To avoid

electronic surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...

from law enforcement, Spero sometimes held crew meetings on the same rooftop. Spero was married with two daughters, Jill and Diana, and owned a home in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

. One of Spero's most lucrative enterprises was selling stolen fireworks. He owned huge warehouses of fireworks and made close to $5 million a year selling them. Every

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

, Spero would stage a fireworks display on Bath Avenue in

Bath Beach, Brooklyn Bath Beach is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It is located at the southwestern edge of the borough on Gravesend Bay. The neighborhood borders Bensonhurst and New Utrecht to the northeast across 86th Street; Dyker Beach ...

that allegedly cost him several hundred thousand dollars. For these parties, Spero also supplied food that was said to be enough to feed all of

Bensonhurst, Brooklyn Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22nd ...

." Spero was a close associate of

Colombo crime family The Colombo crime family (, ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was du ...

capo

Gregory Scarpa Gregory Scarpa (May 8, 1928 – June 4, 1994) nicknamed the Grim Reaper and also the Mad Hatter, was an American caporegime and hitman for the Colombo crime family, as well as an informant for the FBI. During the 1970s and 80s, Scarpa was the ...

and

Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as ...

capo and future underboss

Anthony Casso Anthony Salvatore Casso (May 21, 1942 – December 15, 2020), nicknamed "Gaspipe", was an American mobster and underboss of the Lucchese crime family. During his career in organized crime, Casso was regarded as a "homicidal maniac" in the Italia ...

. Following the death of

Alphonse Indelicato Alphonse "Al" Indelicato (February 25, 1931 – May 5, 1981), also known as Sonny Red, was a powerful American caporegime in New York City's Bonanno crime family who was murdered with Dominick Trinchera and Philip Giaccone for planning to overth ...

and the indictment of his son

Anthony Indelicato Anthony Indelicato (born 1955), also known as "Bruno" and "Whack-Whack", is an American Caporegime with the Bonanno crime family of New York City. Early life Anthony Indelicato is the son of Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato, a powerful capo in th ...

, Bonanno mobster

Thomas Pitera Thomas Pitera (; born December 2, 1954) is an American mobster in the Bonanno crime family. Pitera, a soldier and later on a captain of his own crew, was suspected by law enforcement of as many as 60 murders. Pitera was well known for his use of k ...

became close to Spero. Spero later inducted Pitera into the Bonanno crime family at an initiation ceremony at the house of Bonanno capo

Frank Lino Frank "Curly" Lino (born October 30, 1938) is a Sicilian-American former caporegime in the Bonanno crime family who later became an informant. Biography Early life Lino was born in a house on West Eight Street in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York ...

Murders

In 1990, Spero ordered the murder of Louis Tuzzio, a Bonanno associate who had botched a mob killing. An ambitious gangster, Tuzzio had offended Spero by demanding to become a

made man In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oat ...

. In January 1990, Tuzzio was found dead in his car in Brooklyn with a bullet wound in the back of the head. In 1991, Spero ordered the murder of Vincent Bickelman, a burglar from Brooklyn. In August 1991, Bickelman had broken into the home of Spero's daughter Jill and stolen her jewelry and a fur coat. On September 15, 1991, Bickelman's body, with six bullet wounds, was discovered near his apartment in Bath Beach. Bickelman was allegedly murdered by Bonanno associate Paul Gulino, an ambitious young mobster who ran the Bath Avenue Crew. In 1993, Spero ordered Gulino's murder. In July of that year, during an argument with Spero at the Bath Beach social club, Gulino made physical contact with the capo, a breach of Cosa Nostra protocol. Two weeks later, Gulino's parents discovered him shot to death in their kitchen."13 FACE MOB CHARGES"
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM and JERRY CAPECI ''New York Daily News'' May 30, 1999

Convictions

On January 24, 1994, Spero was indicted on federal racketeering charges of extortion and murder. The indictment stated that Spero controlled a business that used extortion to place "Joker Poker" gambling machines in bars, social clubs, and other establishments around the city. Spero was also charged with the 1991 murder of Marc Goldberg, a rival in the

illegal gambling Gaming law is the set of rules and regulations that apply to the gaming or gambling industry. Gaming law is not a branch of law in the traditional sense but rather is a collection of several areas of law that include criminal law, regulatory law, c ...

business. In April 1995, Spero was acquitted of the Goldberg murder, but convicted of extortion. He was sentenced to two years in prison. In 1997, Spero was released from prison. On May 30, 1999, Spero was indicted on federal racketeering charges that included loansharking and the Tuzzio, Bickelman and Gulino murders from the 1990s. Spero pleaded not guilty on all counts. Spero was released from jail and confined to his Staten Island house, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Walden of the

Eastern District of New York The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (in case citations, E.D.N.Y.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction spans five counties in New York State: the four Long Island counties of Nassau, Su ...

was the lead prosecutor in the case against Spero. During the trial, one of the witnesses testifying against Spero was

Alphonse D'Arco Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco (July 28, 1932 – March 28, 2019) was an American mobster who became the acting boss of the Lucchese crime family in New York City. He was the first boss, acting or otherwise, of a New York crime family to become a go ...

, the former underboss of the

. D'Arco recounted a 1991 conversation in which Spero stated that family members of mob informants, including children, should be murdered in retaliation. On April 5, 2001, Spero was convicted of the three murders and other racketeering charges. On April 16, 2002, Spero was sentenced to life in prison. His lawyer requested leniency due to Spero's poor health, but the judge denied the request."METROPOLITAN REPORT JUDGE NIXES GAG ORDER IN LOUIMA TRIAL"
''New York Daily News'' April 16, 2002 On September 29, 2008, Spero died at age 79 at the

Federal Correctional Complex, Butner The Federal Correctional Complex, Butner (FCC Butner) is a United States federal prison complex for men near Butner, North Carolina. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. FCC Butner ...

(FCC) in

Butner, North Carolina Butner is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,397 as of the 2020 census. Butner was managed by the state of North Carolina from 1947 through 2007. History A bill passed by the North Carolina General ...

.Anthony Spero, a Name in the Bonanno Crime Family, Is Dead at 79
Bruce Weber. ''New York Times''. October 2, 2008 Spero's body was interred at the

Cemetery of the Resurrection The Cemetery of the Resurrection is a Catholic cemetery on the southern shore of Staten Island, in New York City. Notable burials * Joseph Armone (1917–1992), organized crime figure * William Cutolo, Sr. (1949–1999), Underboss of the Colo ...

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

."Awaiting a Burial, This Time an Actual One"
by Alan Feuer ''New York Times'' October 8, 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spero, Anthony 1929 births 2008 deaths Bonanno crime family Consiglieri American gangsters of Italian descent Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention