Ori Spado

In recent interviews with John Barry Shore and Rex Sikes sponsored by the Los Angeles Tribune, Spado confirmed he was born on December 17, 1944, in Rome, New York to Joseph Carl Spado and Livia Spado. He married Antoinette Juliano, the mother of his three children (Gina, Orlando, and Anthony). Spado has six grandchildren.[3] After graduating from Rome Free Academy, he joined the U. S. Army, receiving an honorable discharge in 1966, and eventually returned to Rome\, New York[1]

While living in Rome, he entered the insurance business, and subsequently founded the Ori Agency.[1][4][5]

Spado relocated to California and established a presence there after befriending Jimmy Caci, the underboss of the Los Angeles Crime Family.[1] Through his business contacts in the state, he met and befriended celebrities, including Dean Martin, Ralph Serpe, Tina Louise, Frank Sinatra, Dino De Laurentiis and Jon Voight. He began to 'fix' and do favors for many who were increasingly in need of his services and became dubbed the "Hollywood Fixer" as mentioned in his autobiography.

In 2008, Spado was arrested at his home in Beverly Hills and extradited to Brooklyn on a Colombo crime family-related Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) indictment. He was indicted with his late friend Sonny Franzese and notably reported his death to the press at age 103.[6][7] He was convicted and served five years in federal prison.[1]

After his release from prison, Spado co-wrote an autobiography, The Accidental Gangster: From Insurance Salesman to Mob Boss of Hollywood, with Dennis N. Griffin.[1] In 2020, Spado released a new edition as sole author. Nick Pileggi, the screenwriter of Casino and Goodfellas, ICM agent Jack Gilardi and true crime author John Connolly praised the book with back cover endorsements.[8][9] The book was cited in "Sonny: The Last of the Old-Time Mafia Bosses", which was published in 2022 by award-winning investigative journalist S.J. Peddie.[10]