Salvatore Sperlinga
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Salvatore "Sal" Sperlinga (d. January 4, 1980), born in Somerville, Massachusetts, was a bookmaker and member of the Winter Hill Gang who was a close associate of mobster Howie Winter.
In 1977, Sperlinga and Winter were convicted on extortion charges. In 1980, Sperlinga was let out of prison on work release, allegedly due in part to Winter's influence. Sperlinga got a job at the Magoun Square print shop owned by Somerville, Massachusetts alderman Peter Piro, a brother of state representative Vincent Piro.
On January 4th, 1980, Sperlinga was playing cards in the back room of a local Somerville social club. During the card game, Sperlinga warned local hoodlum Daniel Moran to stay out of Somerville's Magoun Square area. In retaliation, Moran shot Sperlinga three times, killing him. Moran was arrested and convicted soon after the shooting. Winter wanted to get Moran for Sperlinga's death, but was unable to do it, even though he contacted Boston mobsters James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi.
Sperlinga's son, drug dealer and ex-con Richard Sperlinga, would later die from a drug overdose on October 15, 2005 [1].
