Anthony Spero
Encyclopedia
Anthony Spero was the consigliere
and one time acting boss of the Bonanno crime family
.
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., and several other men.
A reserved and low profile man, Spero's hobby was breeding racing pigeons in coops on the roof of a Bensonhurst building. To avoid electronic surveillance 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
.
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, Spero would stage a fireworks display on Bath Avenue in Bath Beach, Brooklyn
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
." Spero was a close associate of Colombo crime family
capo Gregory Scarpa and Lucchese crime family
capo and future underboss Anthony Casso
. Following the death of Alphonse Indelicato and 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
.
. 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, Bickelmen's body, with six bullet wounds, was discovered near his apartment in Bath Beach. Bickelman was allegedly murdered by Gambino associate Paul Gulino, an ambitious young mobster who ran the Bath Street 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.
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 the counts. Spero was released from jail and confined to his Staten Island house, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. During the trial, one of the witnesses testifying against Spero was Alphonse D'Arco
, the former underboss of the Lucchese crime family
. D'Arco recounted a 1991 conversation in which Spero stated that family members of mob informants, including women and 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.
On September 29, 2008, Spero died at age 79 at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Butner, North Carolina
. Spero's body was interred at the Cemetery of the Resurrection in Staten Island, New York.
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
and one time acting boss of the Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
.
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
Joe Massino
Joseph Charles Massino , also known as "Big Joey" or "The Ear". Massino was the boss of the Bonanno crime family before he became a government witness in 2004. The media nicknamed him the "The Last Don" or "The Horatio Alger of the Mob"...
, Anthony Spero was inducted into the Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
by Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante
Carmine Galante, also known as "Lilo" and "Cigar" was a mobster and acting boss of the Bonanno crime family...
on June 14, 1977. The ceremony was held in a Queens bar, and among those inducted were Massino, Joseph Chilli Jr., and several other men.
A reserved and low profile man, Spero's hobby was breeding racing pigeons in coops on the roof of a Bensonhurst building. To avoid electronic surveillance 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
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
.
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, Spero would stage a fireworks display on Bath Avenue in Bath Beach, Brooklyn
Bath Beach, Brooklyn
Bath Beach is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn in the United States. It is located at the southwestern edge of the borough on Gravesend Bay.-Geography:...
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, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-Geography:Sometimes erroneously thought to include all or parts of such neighborhoods as Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park, or to be defined by the streets where the concentration of...
." Spero was a close associate of Colombo crime family
Colombo crime family
The Colombo crime family is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
capo Gregory Scarpa and Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
capo and future underboss Anthony Casso
Anthony Casso
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is a former New York City mobster who served as underboss and acting boss of the Lucchese crime family until he was arrested in 1993, becoming a cooperating witness for the Federal Government...
. Following the death of Alphonse Indelicato and his son Anthony Indelicato
Anthony Indelicato
Anthony "Bruno" Indelicato , also known as "Bruno", "Whack-Whack" and "Anthony Indelligado" is a capo with the Bonanno crime family in New York City,-Biography:...
, Bonanno mobster Thomas Pitera
Thomas Pitera
Thomas "Tommy Karate" E. Pitera is a former Mafia hitman in the Bonanno crime family. Pitera earned a reputation as a vicious and sadistic killer who enjoyed murdering people. He was suspected by law enforcement of as many as 60 murders. He was well known for his use of karate and other martial...
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 Lino
Frank "Curly" Lino is a Sicilian-American caporegime in the Bonanno crime family who later became an informant.-Biography:...
.
Murders
In 1990, Spero ordered the murder of Louis Tuzzio, a Gambino associate who had botched a mob killing. An ambitious gangster, Tuzzio had offended Spero by demanding to become a made manMade man
A made man, also known as a Mafioso , made guy, man of honor, or uomo d'onore , is someone who has been officially inducted into the Sicilian or American Mafia . They may also be referred to by some as a goodfella or wiseguy...
. 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, Bickelmen's body, with six bullet wounds, was discovered near his apartment in Bath Beach. Bickelman was allegedly murdered by Gambino associate Paul Gulino, an ambitious young mobster who ran the Bath Street 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.
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 charge with the 1991 murder of Marc Goldberg, a rival in the illegal gambling 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 the counts. Spero was released from jail and confined to his Staten Island house, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. During the trial, one of the witnesses testifying against Spero was Alphonse D'Arco
Alphonse D'Arco
Alphonse "Little Al" D'Arco , also known as "The Professor", is a New York mobster who became the acting boss of Lucchese crime family. He was the first boss, acting or otherwise, of a New York crime family to become a government witness....
, the former underboss of the Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
. D'Arco recounted a 1991 conversation in which Spero stated that family members of mob informants, including women and 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.
On September 29, 2008, Spero died at age 79 at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Butner, North Carolina
Butner, North Carolina
Butner is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,591 at the 2010 census]. Butner was managed by the state of North Carolina from 1947 through 2007. A bill passed by the North Carolina General Assembly incorporating the town was signed by Gov. Mike Easley on...
. Spero's body was interred at the Cemetery of the Resurrection in Staten Island, New York.