Tommy "Shorty" Spero

I've been seeking some info about this guy for a while now. Apart from being a capo with the Colombos and serving as an early mentor to Gravano, how much is known about him? I've only seen the "Mafia wikia" article and various tidbits form books or documentaries, usually repeating the same things. Apparently he was a feared capo and highly trusted by Persico.
He wasn't made when Sammy went on the record with him but he was already considered unofficially a capo, and was one of the first to get straightened out when the books opened up.
Gerard Pappa had him whacked without permission, but it never said over what beef. There's only two pics of him, but they're obviously different persons so I'm not sure which one's correct.
Also, what happened to his crew anyway?

In an unrelated matter, is there any confirmed pic of William "Billy Batts" Benventa of the Gambinos?

Sammy's first capo? Wasn't he whacked off the record by John Pappa? Funny how that worked, real six degrees of separation there.

I've never been quite clear on why he was killed. I've heard it was official and that it wasn't official, that Colombos sanctioned it that they didn't, I would really like to know.

shorty was killed on the sneak by pappa,

Bronx,was Pappa really one of the baddest bad asses Brooklyn has ever produced?Thats the way Gravano said it.

the cemetery is full of the baddest guys..for me ,there is no toughest guy. everybody bleeds..some guys have a little run.. then a "not so tough a guy" shoots him and puts him in a trunk..i.e. demo et. al.

I think he was whacked by Gerard Pappa, but there's two theories... one is that they had some sort of beef or old dispute, personal or otherwise. The other is that he swore revenge after his brother Ralph Spero was killed and the family wanted him dead (but probably wanted things to point away from them and maybe gave Pappa the okay off the record?)

papa may have assumed shorty was one of the guys that shot emma

Good,educated answer.But why did they kill Emma at NU ave?

Pappa......



don't preach.

opportunity was there,they were washing their cars..they hung out in that spot for years..not hard to find them

Was that New utrecht and 78th?

There are not many photos of Gerrard Pappa on the net and I have yet to see one of Jimmy Emma the legendary pitbull

correct Alex

There's no gas station there any more.It's some kind of building accross the street from that chinese take-out.Everybody mentiones a bar over there but haven't seen it,and i don't know where it was.Coockies was there,its closed now.

I hate using silly Internet slang, but +1000.

There's no such thing as the toughest guy. Because at the end of the day, everyone has a pulse. Until they don't .

lol...that's a fact..

Shorty got clipped by Pappa due to a drug related issue. It appears that Spero was extorting dealers who operated on his turf and the neighboring areas. They approached Gerry and offered him something like a few hundred thousand for the off the record hit. Which explains why the Chin gave permission to the Colombo Family to exert revenge on Pappa.

Nothing to do with his brother being whacked then and him wanting to avenge him? That's Joey Cantalupo's version.

Anthony "Shorty/Tommy" Spero was one of the last members made before the books were closed. He became a capo during Joe Colombo reign in the late 1960's. It is Ralph, Shorty's brother who was made when the books were reopened. Tommy was killed by Papa on the sneak as stated above.

There was nothing nice about Shorty Spero. He lived by violence. I was in a sociable game of four-handed pinochle with him at the house of Michael Bolino. Our wives were in the same area. I caught Shorty cheating and I said ''Shorty you can't do that.''
And he takes a .45 out of his pocket, he puts it to my head and says ''Don't you ever call me a fuckin' cheat or I'll blow your fuckin' brains out.''
At that time I got a little diarrhea and me and my wife left. But the man lived that way. And he died that way. His brother was shot to death and he tried to avenge him but was killed himself. So there's no more Shorty Spero..

LOL Joey Cantalupo was funny. I also liked the Funzi Tieri/Louie LaRocca story

The man is a brilliant raconteur. I wonder if he's still alive? He should start his own podcast..

Didt some soldier get arrested for the murder a few yrs ago from the bonanno family. He was living in las vegas and was gonna use the he retired from the mob defense. So they gave he like a 1 or 2 yr deal. He was accused of shooting him in a dinner with a shotgun. They tied the waitress and cook up in the back it was all setup.

it was armondo from bonano family..he did not kill jerry,also italian restaurant .

I really enjoyed body mike when I read it years,and it's always good to read up on.I remember reading or hearing that cantalupo died about two years ago,but not certain on that.

not dead

Cantalupo? He is still alive. Tommy was passed on.

Giacomo..yes he is still alive ,living in fla