He has been charged with ordering the deaths of three men and with managing a cadre of would-be Mafiosi who committed a laundry list of crimes, including gambling, drug dealing, extortion and theft. Talk to the men who investigate La Cosa Nostra and they will say the mob no longer dominates New York as it did just 10 or 15 years ago. It no longer has a stranglehold on labor unions. Its leadership is in disarray. Federal sentencing rules have made it more attractive to enter guilty pleas.
Few men take the risk of going to trial.
The Spero trial, however, is likely to be a throwback to the Mafia's golden age. It should provide extensive testimony from gangland turncoats and veteran federal agents. It promises gangster lore and courtroom drama, not to mention surveillance photos of beefy men in two-tone velour athletic suits. If Mr. Spero's trial promises to be flashy, Mr. Spero himself is not. He is no John Gotti, the former Gambino family boss who was given to expletives and shiny suits.