Benedetto Spera (; born July 1, 1934) is a member of the

Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia, also simply known as the Mafia and frequently referred to as Cosa nostra (, ; "our thing") by its members, is an Italian Mafia-terrorist-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society originating in the region of Sicily a ...

and the boss of the

Belmonte Mezzagno Belmonte Mezzagno ( Sicilian: ''Bellumunti'' but more properly ''U Mizzagnu'' in the local version of the Sicilian language) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about south o ...

Mafia family and the ''

mandamento Mandamento may refer to: * Mandamento (administrative district) * Mandamento (Sicilian Mafia) See also * Capomandamento Within Cosa Nostra a mandamento is traditionally a district of three geographically contiguous Mafia cosche (families contr ...

'' of

Misilmeri Misilmeri ( scn, Musulumeli) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. It is approximately from Palermo and its name means "the resting place or the messuage of the Emir", and dates from the Muslim emirate of Sicily. ...

in the

province of Palermo The Province of Palermo ( it, provincia di Palermo; Sicilian: ''pruvincia di Palermu'') was a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital was the city of Palermo. On 4 August 2015, it was replaced ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He was convicted ''

in absentia is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in absen ...

'' for the killing of the two prominent anti-mafia judges

Paolo Borsellino Paolo Emanuele Borsellino (; scn, Pàulu Borsellino; 19 January 1940 – 19 July 1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying t ...

and

Giovanni Falcone Giovanni Falcone (; 18 May 1939 – 23 May 1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian ...

, receiving life sentences. Spera was born in

, near

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. His first conviction in the 1950s was for illegally pasturing his sheep. Later, he made a lot of money from the skimming of public works contracts.Palermo, arrestato Spera boss di Belmonte
La Repubblica, January 30, 2001 Spera was a member of the

Sicilian Mafia Commission The Sicilian Mafia Commission (Italian: ''Commissione provinciale''), known as Commissione or Cupola, is a body of leading Sicilian Mafia members to decide on important questions concerning the actions of, and settling disputes within the Sicili ...

as an ally to the

Corleonesi The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella. Corleonesi affiliates were n ...

and became one of the most trusted advisers of

Bernardo Provenzano Bernardo Provenzano (; 31 January 1933 – 13 July 2016) was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia clan known as the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone, and ''de facto'' the boss of bosses (''il c ...

. Spera became part of a "directorate" that ruled Cosa Nostra after since the mid-1990s and was established by Provenzano. This group "of about four to seven people met very infrequently, only when necessary, when there were strategic decisions to make."The Mafia after Provenzano-peace or all-out war?
by

Philip Pullella Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

, Reuters, April 12, 2006. Among the other members of the directorate were

Salvatore Lo Piccolo Salvatore Lo Piccolo (; born 20 July 1942), also known as "the Baron" (), is a Sicilian '' mafioso'' and one of the most powerful bosses of Palermo, Sicily. Lo Piccolo rose through the ranks of the Palermo mafia throughout the 1980s and he becam ...

from Palermo;

Andrea Manciaracina Andrea Manciaracina (; born April 7, 1962), sometimes spelled Mangiaracina, is a member of Sicily, Sicilian Sicilian Mafia, Mafia. He was born in Mazara del Vallo in the province of Trapani. He was initiated in Cosa Nostra in 1985 or 1986. In 1992 ...

from

Mazara del Vallo Mazara del Vallo (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, southwestern Sicily, Italy. It lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river. It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its port gives shelter to the ...

; Salvatore Rinella from

Trabia Trabia ( Sicilian: A Trabbìa'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. Trabia borders the following municipalities: Altavilla Milicia, Caccamo, Castel ...

; Giuseppe Balsano from

Monreale Monreale (; ; Sicilian: ''Murriali'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily, southern Italy. It is located on the slope of Monte Caputo, overlooking the very fertile valley called ''"La Conca d'oro"'' (the Golde ...

;

Matteo Messina Denaro Matteo Messina Denaro (; born 26 April 1962), also known as ''Diabolik'', is a Sicilian Mafia boss. He got his nickname from the Italian comic book character of the same name. He is considered to be one of the new leaders of Cosa Nostra after t ...

from

Castelvetrano Castelvetrano ( scn, Castiḍḍuvitranu) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy. The archeological site of Selinunte is located within the municipal territory. The municipality borders with Campobello di ...

;

Vincenzo Virga Vincenzo Virga (; born 11 September 1936 in Erice, Province of Trapani) is the boss of the Trapani Mafia family and '' mandamento'' since 1982, when the previous boss, Salvatore Minore, was murdered. Virga is currently in prison, he was sentenced ...

from

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

; and

Antonino Giuffrè Antonino "Nino" Giuffrè (; born 21 July 1945) is an Italian mafioso from Caccamo in the Province of Palermo, Sicily. He became one of the most important Mafia turncoats after his arrest in April 2002. Giuffrè was known in Mafia circles as (" ...

from

Caccamo Caccamo (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Càccamu'') is a town and ''comune'' located on the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Metropolitan City of Palermo. History The official founding of Caccamo was not until 1093, when the No ...

. Oliva & Palazzolo,
L’altra mafia
'' Spera was arrested on January 30, 2001.Sicilian mafia boss arrested
BBC News, January 30, 2001 Police apprehended him at a farmhouse in

Mezzojuso Mezzojuso ( Sicilian: ''Menzijusu'' or ''Menziuso'', Arbëreshë: ''Munxifsi'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a ...

, 40 kilometers outside of

, where he was to meet Provenzano and Spera's personal physician. Spera and his physician were taken into custody, however, Provenzano was nowhere to be found.

Sources

* Oliva, Ernesto & Salvo Palazzolo (2001).
L’altra mafia: Biografia di Bernardo Provenzano
', Soveria Mannelli (CZ): Rubbettino Editore. 1934 births Living people Gangsters from the Province of Palermo Sicilian Mafia Commission Sicilian mafiosi sentenced to life imprisonment {{Mafia