Thomas Pitera | |
|---|---|
 Pitera's DEA mugshot | |
| Born | December 2, 1954 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | "Tommy Karate", "The Karate Guy" |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Allegiance | Bonanno crime family |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking, murder (1992) |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment (1992) |
Thomas Pitera (/pɪˈtɛərə/; born December 2, 1954) is an American mobster in the Bonanno crime family. Pitera, a soldier and later on a captain of his own crew, was suspected by law enforcement of as many as 60 murders.[citation needed] Pitera was well known for his use of karate and other martial arts when fighting, a skill he had learned at a young age and which earned him nicknames like "Tommy Karate", and "The Karate Guy". Pitera is serving a life sentence at USP Big Sandy in Inez, Kentucky.