Once almost as close as father and son, the two made a formidable pair: the Democratic state senator from South Philadelphia whose influence extends throughout the state, and the master lawyer with a fearsome reputation.
The first public intimations of the split surfaced late last fall, when Fumo dumped Sprague as his lawyer even while he prepared for the fight of his life: a massive federal corruption indictment.
As with any divorce, ultimately only Fumo, 64, and Sprague, 82, know what is at the heart of their rift. Neither man will talk about it.
A handful of Philadelphia political figures, including former Mayor John F. Street and union leader John J. Dougherty, would speak about the split on the record. Details of the feud were filled in by friends and allies of the two men, speaking on condition they not be named.
Sprague's allies are emphatic: They say it's all about money - specifically, about Fumo's anger at being asked to pay legitimate legal bills.
Sprague thought Fumo's ire was particularly unjustified, the lawyer's allies say, because he had been charging Fumo a discount rate of $200 an hour. Not only that, they note, the state Senate and Fumo's campaign donors had picked up $2.3 million of the tab anyway, 80 percent of the total.
Some of Fumo's people agree that the dispute was about money - they say that Sprague socked him with outrageous legal bills.
"They were more than friends. They were family," said one Fumo friend. "But, ultimately, the almighty dollar was even more close."
Others in Fumo's camp say the real trigger for the feud was Fumo's opposition to the SugarHouse Casino on Philadelphia's waterfront.
That would be the casino partly owned by Sprague and Sprague's grown son and daughter.
