Howard "Howie" Spira is an American gambler and convicted felon who was central to

Fay Vincent Francis Thomas Vincent Jr. (born May 29, 1938), known as Fay Vincent, is a former entertainment lawyer, securities regulator, and sports executive who served as the eighth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from September 13, 1989 to Septembe ...

's decision to ban

George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving o ...

from baseball during the 1990s. In 1991 he was convicted of trying to extort $110,000 from Steinbrenner and spent over two years in prison.

Early life and education

Howard Spira was born in 1959 in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yo ...

to poor parents. Spira attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, t ...

, studying broadcast journalism, but dropped out in 1980.

FBI informant

During the 1980s, Spira was an informant for the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

against the

Five Families The Five Families refers to five major New York City organized crime families of the Italian American Mafia formed in 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War. Maranzano reorganized the Italian American gang ...

Steinbrenner and Winfield

In the late 1980s Spira, working as an unpaid publicist for

Dave Winfield David Mark Winfield (born October 3, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He is the special assistant to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Over his 22-year career, he playe ...

's foundation was in debt and contacted Steinbrenner, who was in a conflict with Winfield over payments to Winfield's charitable foundation. Spira offered to provide proof Winfield was misusing charitable funds in exchange for Steinbrenner paying him $150,000, giving him a job, and providing him a room in a hotel owned by Joan Steinbrenner. In January of 1990, Steinbrenner paid him $40,000. Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball for three years for paying Spira $40,000 to find dirt on Winfield. Spira was the subject of a 2016 film, ''The Rise and Fall of Howie Spira''.

Personal life

As of 2011, Spira lived with his parents in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yo ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spira, Howard 1959 births Living people 20th-century American criminals 21st-century American criminals American gangsters Federal Bureau of Investigation informants American extortionists New York University alumni