The Accidental Gangster

 Ori Spado 

The Mob Boss of Hollywood

A True Crime Book

Every word you read in this book is the truth.  Writing this book was an extremely hard and difficult task for me. Yes, it was difficult, to relive my life and kept me awake for many, many, nights.  After we had our first manuscript, I sent it to only two people to read.  Nick Pileggi, a very dear friend, author, and screenwriter of Goodfellas and Casino. The other went to my dear friend Jack Gilardi the legendary Hollywood agent at ICM.  After Nick read it, he called me and said this is a very different gangster story, he said, “Ori you don’t have anything bad to say about your friends”.  The truth is I do not have anything bad to say about my current or former friends, as they were real men and women, and I believe in loyalty. (To thine own self be true). I own my life and no one else does or ever will.  Although I never took the oath of Omerta (silence), I lived by the rules as if I did.

A Man of Honor

I have never informed on anyone in my life, and there was never even a thought about it. The FBI in Los Angeles tried several times to make me inform and when I refused, they tried to set me up to make others think I did. This is a deplorable practice for law enforcement and should not be allowed.  I despise informants, and many who write books are just plane liars. The truth is they could never cut it and they are just gangster wannabes. There is not a sole living or dead that ever got arrested as a result of me and that would never happen. I can look in the mirror stand tall and like what I see, a man of honor.  Being a careful creature of habit, I went on record in Buffalo with a mob boss as to what I was doing. A man in my world had to think ahead, and I was good at it.

Reflections on crime and punishment

After writing a manuscript for “The Accidental Gangster”, I met with both, Nick Pileggi, and Jack Gilardi. They had a keen interest in this book and gave me invaluable guidance that will forever be appreciated.  After doing my time and much reflection, I am no longer or ever will be involved with mobs and crime. I just want to live my remaining years in peace and if my life and this book can help one young man stay out of a life of crime, then my life was well worth it.

Thank you, to my family and all my friends.

Orlando “Ori” Spado

Beverly Hills, California