Info on the decina of Sommatino in Grenoble

[motorfab]

Giacomo Pagano



In 1992, the members of the parliament François d'Aubert (UDF) and Bertrand Gallet (PS) were entrusted with investigating the infiltration of the mafia in France. Among other things, they discover that several families with links to the mafia are active in the city of Grenoble. Among these names is that of Giacomo Pagano, a native of Sommatino.

Small demographic precision, Grenoble counts after the second world war, a strong Italian immigration, in particular from Sicily and Puglia, mainly from Sommatino & Corato. To be complete on the subject, Grenoble is twinned with Catania and Fontaine (near suburb of the Grenoble conurbation) is twinned with Sommatino.

Pagano, owner of a bar, has been active in Grenoble at least since 1981, when he had convictions for pimping and receiving stolen jewelry. The conviction for pimping also makes me think that he was connected to the Italo-Grenoblois gang, which was one of their main activities. He was expelled the same year in Sommatino but returned in 1991 to join his wife (a Frenchwoman), without arousing the suspicions of the law enforcements.

At that time he was officially working in a moving company and would live with an invalidity pension and would have as other resources the rents of 2 small apartments he owns.

Following the report by d'Aubet & Gallet, an investigation was opened against Pagano, especially since in November 1992, Leonardo Messina, a member of the San Cataldo mafia who had become a pentito, had designated Pagano as the leader of the "famiglia". from Grenoble.

This is confirmed by Antonino Calderone even if these remarks are a little more confused and seem to confuse Caltanissetta and Enna [source Riviera Nostra by Jean-Michel Verne, pages 40-41]:

-The President: Are there families abroad?
-Antonio Calderone: Families from Cosa Nostra… I heard of a cell of ten [decina] which could be in France.
-The President: In Marseilles?
-Antonio Calderone: No, I no longer remember the locality. It was in the occurrence of a cell in the province of Enna.

But the Grenoble prosecutor Michel Albarède suspends the investigation, which will be worth to Aubert to declare: "I advise the prosecutor of Grenoble to subscribe to Repubblica".

Pagano moves some time later with friends of his on the Côte-d'Azur but is arrested on February 20 1993 and again deported to Sommatino. About his acquaintances with certain members of the mafia, including Calogero Pulci, the boss of the cosca of Sommatino, he declares that he knows him but that he has nothing to do with the mafia and that like Sommatino is a small town, it is natural that everyone knows each other ...

According to Bertrand Galley, Pagano would do "in addition to mafia work, particularly based on racketeering in the department of Isère, would also be the hub between Germany and Italy for traffic where there could be a question of the sale of weapons, the circulation of dirty money and the use of the Grenoble area as a logistical rear base for the Italian and particularly Sicilian Mafia" [source Le Monde February 23, 1993]

But arrived in Italy, Pagano is free of any movement, until the operation "Leopardo" where he is again accused of mafia association. Wanted by Interpol, he was then arrested in December 1993 in Brussels.

Calogero Pulci



d'Aubert & Gallet's suspicions were definitively confirmed when Calogero Pulci, 33, was arrested on June 2, 1994 at Rives station (28 kilometers from Grenoble).

Pulci is not just anyone, because he is close to Giuseppe "Piddu" Madonia, the capo of the province of Caltanissetta, his driver, and also the capo of the cosca of Sommatino. At the time of his arrest he had been wanted since 1990 for the murder of Francesco Ianni (a Mafioso from Sommatino), extortion of funds under the threat of attacks and violation of the legislation on weapons. He was caught when he went to pick up a friend and had been staying for several months with relatives in Isère. The police also seized several false papers from him.

Pulci was sentenced to life imprisonment and became a pentito in 1999. But it seems that he gave false information and was therefore fired from the witness protection program for defamation (which he denies).

Coming back to Grenoble, no more info after that, we can assume that the decina has been dissolved after the arrests of de Pagano & Pulci

[PolackTony]

Great summary of a very interesting topic. I know little about the mafia in Sommatino to begin with, so it’s good to know who some of the major figures there were. One thing I wonder about is how much conflict the cosa nostra in Sommatino would have had locally with the Stidda, as from what I understand the Stidda had (still has?) a strong presence in nearby comuni such as Canicattì and Riesi. If the Grenoble decina was facing pressure from French LE and the Sommatino Family had more pressing matters to deal with at home, one can imagine that the foreign operation would be abandoned.

BTW, you stated that there is a Pugliese population in Grenoble also. Any signs that Pugliese mafia groups (SCU, Camorra Bares’, Società Foggiana) have ever set up shop in the area? Also, what was (is?) the “Italo-Grenoblois gang” you mentioned, like a local non-mafia Italian street gang or OC group?

[motorfab]

Great summary of a very interesting topic. I know little about the mafia in Sommatino to begin with, so it’s good to know who some of the major figures there were. One thing I wonder about is how much conflict the cosa nostra in Sommatino would have had locally with the Stidda, as from what I understand the Stidda had (still has?) a strong presence in nearby comuni such as Canicattì and Riesi. If the Grenoble decina was facing pressure from French LE and the Sommatino Family had more pressing matters to deal with at home, one can imagine that the foreign operation would be abandoned.

BTW, you stated that there is a Pugliese population in Grenoble also. Any signs that Pugliese mafia groups (SCU, Camorra Bares’, Società Foggiana) have ever set up shop in the area? Also, what was (is?) the “Italo-Grenoblois gang” you mentioned, like a local non-mafia Italian street gang or OC group?

Thanks !

I'm also not a big expert about Sommatino's mafia, to be honest I only know them because of Grenoble, but speaking of the conflict with the Stidda, Pulci was also suspected of the murder of a man named Mastrosimone (I don't have the first name).

Not impossible for the SCU, but more guys on the run than an organized group like the Cosa Nostra decina. As it's not far of Italy & Swiss, Grenoble have the reputation to be a shelter for mobster on the run or ban by the justice from other cities*, so why not.

Glad you're asking for the Italo-Grenoblois. They're an organized crime group active since the 60s involved in prostitution, extortion and stuff like that. Just to be clear, althrough they're Italians, there is no way they're mafia members. Maybe connected to them but not more.

During the 70s they made the headlines because of their prostitution ring. They were so cruel with their girls (beating, torturing, very hard conditions of "working") that several of the girls pressed charges against them and most of the pimps of the gang were sentenced.

The last boss of the gang I know is Robert Maldera and he disappeared/have been killed in september 2015. I don't know how much they're active now

*Don't know for the US but in Europe it happened a lot that someone sentenced to jail is also ban for several months or years.

[scagghiuni]

Great summary of a very interesting topic. I know little about the mafia in Sommatino to begin with, so it’s good to know who some of the major figures there were. One thing I wonder about is how much conflict the cosa nostra in Sommatino would have had locally with the Stidda, as from what I understand the Stidda had (still has?) a strong presence in nearby comuni such as Canicattì and Riesi. If the Grenoble decina was facing pressure from French LE and the Sommatino Family had more pressing matters to deal with at home, one can imagine that the foreign operation would be abandoned.

BTW, you stated that there is a Pugliese population in Grenoble also. Any signs that Pugliese mafia groups (SCU, Camorra Bares’, Società Foggiana) have ever set up shop in the area? Also, what was (is?) the “Italo-Grenoblois gang” you mentioned, like a local non-mafia Italian street gang or OC group?

Thanks !

I'm also not a big expert about Sommatino's mafia, to be honest I only know them because of Grenoble, but speaking of the conflict with the Stidda, Pulci was also suspected of the murder of a man named Mastrosimone (I don't have the first name).

Not impossible for the SCU, but more guys on the run than an organized group like the Cosa Nostra decina. As it's not far of Italy & Swiss, Grenoble have the reputation to be a shelter for mobster on the run or ban by the justice from other cities*, so why not.

Glad you're asking for the Italo-Grenoblois. They're an organized crime group active since the 60s involved in prostitution, extortion and stuff like that. Just to be clear, althrough they're Italians, there is no way they're mafia members. Maybe connected to them but not more.

During the 70s they made the headlines because of their prostitution ring. They were so cruel with their girls (beating, torturing, very hard conditions of "working") that several of the girls pressed charges against them and most of the pimps of the gang were sentenced.

The last boss of the gang I know is Robert Maldera and he disappeared/have been killed in september 2015. I don't know how much they're active now

*Don't know for the US but in Europe it happened a lot that someone sentenced to jail is also ban for several months or years.

Has the old milieu disappeared or is it an exaggeration of the media? i read it was replaced by north africans (mainly algerians) and gitanes... in the old milieu there were several italians Claude Genova in Paris, Tany Zampa in Marseille etc.

[motorfab]

Has the old milieu disappeared or is it an exaggeration of the media? i read it was replaced by north africans (mainly algerians) and gitanes... in the old milieu there were several italians Claude Genova in Paris, Tany Zampa in Marseille etc.

It's a bit of both I think. There are always teams from the traditional Milieu like "La Brise De Mer" (now defunct) or that of "Petit Bar" in Corsica or others in Marseille or the south of France, but yes that hasn't nothing to do with like before.

I think the breaking point is in the 80s with the elimination for various reasons of guys like Paul Mondoloni (1985) or the Zemour brothers (in order: William in 1975, Edgar & Gilbert in 1983). Now it's more robbery teams attacking bank vans with bazookas or Arabs dealing drugs in their suburbs. They make the headlines, but that has nothing to do with the Milieu.

So yes the French mob still exists but is different, but they have not been replaced by the Gitans/Caïds des cités and the others. One thing is certain is that the post mid-80s/Mondoloni & Zemour's murders era is not even close to interest me ...

[B.]

Phenomenal work. I love hearing about Families and factions who operate remotely and this one is significant since the Sicilian mafia once had at least one Family in France.

Also shows how the huge population of paesani from Sommatino who moved to Grenoble brought with them a faction of their native mafia. That's probably close to how Families initially developed in the US.

[B.]

Another thing -- I've never seen Sommatino show up much in the US mafia. Riesi too is another that was very powerful in Sicily but didn't produce many US members, at least compared to other Caltanissetta villages.

I see Lennert has a Guadagnino as an early Rochester mafioso from Sommatino which fits the compaesani make-up of WNY.

Bill Feather has a John Pricco of the Pueblo Family also being from Sommatino. Never heard of him.

[B.]

Thought I'd add this here.

Leonardo Messina also identified Sicilian decine in the following locations:

- Mannheim, Germany. This decina belonged to the Palma di Montechiaro Family in Agrigento but there was also a stidda "decina" (?) in Germany with roots in Palma di Montechiaro. He specifically said there were two decine but not sure what to make of the stidda reference and how that would be viewed within Cosa Nostra. The Mannheim decina was affiliated with the Ribisis of Cosa Nostra but we know the Ribisis were at war with the stidda in Sicily.

- Brussels, Belgium. This was a decina of the Campofranco Family in Caltanissetta.

- He mentioned the Grenoble decina as well which Fabien already outlined above.

[motorfab]

Thought I'd add this here.

Leonardo Messina also identified Sicilian decine in the following locations:

- Mannheim, Germany. This decina belonged to the Palma di Montechiaro Family in Agrigento but there was also a stidda "decina" (?) in Germany with roots in Palma di Montechiaro. He specifically said there were two decine but not sure what to make of the stidda reference and how that would be viewed within Cosa Nostra. The Mannheim decina was affiliated with the Ribisis of Cosa Nostra but we know the Ribisis were at war with the stidda in Sicily.

- Brussels, Belgium. This was a decina of the Campofranco Family in Caltanissetta.

- He mentioned the Grenoble decina as well which Fabien already outlined above.

Thanks for the update mate (glad to see you back here )

-Regarding Mannheim, not sure who the Ribisis representative was, but Gaetano Puzzangaro may have been the Stidda representative there. He was notably involved in the murder of judge Rosario Livatino in 1990 and was notoriously a rival of Pietro Ribisi

-Giuseppe Cuffaro of the Caruana-Cuntrera clan was active in Germany (on the Swiss border side) and in Belgium. Pasquale Coirazza, another man of the Caruana-Cuntrera clan was also active in Germany and then opened a pizzeria in Charleroi (1 hour drive from Brussels) called "Chez Pascal" in 1974. FYI I think the pizzeria still exists and the co-owner of the restaurant was name Pasquale Dimora ...

Charleroi is not Brussels, but interesting to note that the mafiosi of the province of Agrigento are well established in this area. Unfortunately I have no information on the Campofranco mafiosi in Brussels.

A word about Messina, according to him Giacomo Pagano was a member of the Stidda, which I have a hard time believing especially since I have never read anything about him that goes in this direction. I sometimes have a bit of trouble with Messina's statements, so I personally remain quite cautious about the possible presence of a Stidda decina in Mannheim

[B.]

Great additions, thanks my friend. I wouldn't be surprised if Santa Maria di Gesu also had a decina in Germany earlier on as boss Andrea Messina spent his youth there and continued to spend a significant amount of his time there while he was boss, also hosting Cosa Nostra members who visited Germany. This was in the 1930s and 40s.

The way Leonardo Messina explained it is the stidda were official Cosa Nostra members who broke off and went rogue. He said they were "u stessa" and that stidda is still "the same mafia". He also said the Palma di Montechiaro Family had a decina in Rome that was once official but they rebelled and became stiddari as well. So if he said Pagano was with the stidda, in his definition Pagano was still a Cosa Nostra member but one who went rogue against the leadership.

He emphasized in his testimony that he didn't regard stidda as an "outside organization" but one that was still within Cosa Nostra. It's confusing but he basically viewed them as a rebel faction of Cosa Nostra who was still technically a part of it and that when a stidda group became powerful enough they were basically legitimized within Cosa Nostra. This reminds me of what we've seen in the US, where the Maranzano-Gagliano faction in 1930-31 rebelled against the national leadership and ultimately gained enough support to win the war, legitimizing themselves in the process. If they had done this in 1980s Sicily they might well have been called stiddari haha.

He also said there were stiddari among the 'ndrangheta and that these were the guys responsible for the kidnappings, whereas the leadership of the 'ndrangheta, who he said were inducted into Cosa Nostra much like leaders of the Campanian Camorristi, were not responsible. So he uses stidda / stiddari to refer to rebels within both Cosa Nostra and 'ndrangheta which is interesting. Probably the same thing that's termed "bastard 'ndrine".