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

Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a secret society, criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of ...

and the boss of the

Belmonte Mezzagno Belmonte Mezzagno (Sicilian language, 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 Italy, Italian region Sicily ...

Mafia family and the '' mandamento'' of

in the

province of Palermo The province of 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 by the Metropolitan City o ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. He was convicted ''

in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...

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

Paolo Borsellino Paolo Emanuele 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 to overthrow the power of ...

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 ( ; ; , 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 province. The ...

. 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, 30 January 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 who 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 wer ...

and became one of the most trusted advisers of Bernardo Provenzano. Spera became part of a "directorate" that ruled Cosa Nostra after 1995 when it 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, Reuters, 12 April 2006. Among the other members of the directorate were Salvatore Lo Piccolo from Palermo; Andrea Manciaracina from

Mazara del Vallo Mazara del Vallo (; is a city and in the province of Trapani, northwestern 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 largest fi ...

; Salvatore Rinella from Trabia; Giuseppe Balsano from Monreale; Matteo Messina Denaro from

Castelvetrano Castelvetrano () 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 Mazara, Mazara del Vall ...

; Vincenzo Virga from

Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, 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 important fishing port and the mai ...

; and

Antonino Giuffrè Antonino "Nino" Giuffrè (; born 21 July 1945) is an Italian former mafioso who later became a justice collaborator. The head of the mandamento of Caccamo, he was the second-highest ranked member of Cosa Nostra. He became one of the most importa ...

from

Caccamo Caccamo ( Sicilian: ''Càccamu'') is a town and ''comune'' located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Metropolitan City of Palermo. History The official founding of Caccamo was not until 1093, when the Normans started to build the castle ...

. Oliva & Palazzolo,
L’altra mafia
'' Spera was arrested on 20 January 2001.Sicilian mafia boss arrested
BBC News, 30 January 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 ...

, 40 kilometres 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 Metropolitan City of Palermo Sicilian Mafia Commission Sicilian mafiosi sentenced to life imprisonment {{Mafia