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.

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, Anthony Spero was inducted into the Bonanno crime family 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 sports, or pursuing other ...

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 a ...

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 the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

. 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, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...

, Spero would stage a fireworks display on Bath Avenue in

Bath Beach, Brooklyn Bath Beach is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, 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 P ...

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 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 during ...

capo Gregory Scarpa and

Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey, within the nationwide c ...

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, he was regarded as a "homicidal maniac" in the Italian-A ...

. Following the death of Alphonse Indelicato and the indictment of his son Anthony Indelicato, Bonanno mobster Thomas Pitera 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 (October 30, 1938 – August 2, 2023) was an 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, N ...

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 Sicilian and American Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. In order to become eligible to be "made", an associate must fulfill several requirements, such as being Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by ...

. 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 inducted member, a cardinal sin of Cosa Nostra protocol. Two weeks later, Gulino's parents discovered him shot to death in their kitchen.

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 Gambling 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 ...

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, ...

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 acting boss 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, United States district judge Edward Korman sentenced Spero to life imprisonment and fined him $250,000. 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.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 in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

."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 20th-century American criminals 21st-century American criminals American gangsters of Italian descent American male criminals American people convicted of murder American people who died in prison custody Criminals from Brooklyn Criminals from Staten Island Gangsters from New York City Gangsters sentenced to life imprisonment People convicted of murder under the RICO Act Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States federal government Bonanno crime family Consiglieri Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention