News from Italy

[aleksandrored]

29 May 2018 - Mafia, trial of the Bagheria clans: over 50 years requested for 6 defendants - Names and photos

Over 50 years of imprisonment were requested for six defendants in the trial of the Bagheria clan mafia resulting from the operation called Reset 2.

The highest sentence, 20 years, has been requested for Carmelo Bartolone, considered a capomafia of the Bagheria thigh. The pm Francesca Mazzocco asked 12 years for Pietro Flamia, 7 for Luigi Di Salvo and Rosario La Mantia, 6 for Alessandro Vega, 2 for Antonio Lepre. They are accused for various reasons of mafia association and extortion.

For the seventh defendant, Gioacchino Di Bella, the acquittal was requested. Another 16 have chosen the abbreviated rite and 5 have been convicted in the first degree.

In both processes the Municipalities of Bagheria, Altavilla Milicia, Ficarazzi, Santa Flavia, the Pio La Torre study center, Confindustria of Palermo, Addiopizzo, Confcommercio and Confesercenti were established as civil parties.


Carmelo Bartolone


Pietro Flamia


Luigi Di Salvo


Rosario La Mantia


Gioacchino Di Bella

[aleksandrored]

31 May 2018 - Mafia in Altavilla Milicia, kidnapping two million: seals also at two bars

Seizure of two million euro assets to Francesco Lombardo, 62, considered close to the Altavilla Milicia gang. The carabinieri of the investigative nucleus of the provincial command of Palermo have executed a seizure decree issued by the court - Palermo prevention measures section, at the request of the local prosecutor's office.

During the patrimonial investigations, it emerged that in the availability of Francesco Lombardo there were goods probably due to illicit activities. Among the assets seized in Altavilla Milicia there is the bar Madonna della Milicia, the Bellevue bar, 35% of the company Turismo italia s.r.l, two buildings, a house and three parcels of land

Francesco Lombardo has a high level mafia pedigree. He is currently detained because he was sentenced to 12 years and 8 months imprisonment following his arrest under the "Argo" operation of 2013, in which his managerial role of the mafia family of Altavilla Milicia was contested and in the extortion of companies and businesses.

He had already undergone a definitive sentence of 6 years and 4 months imprisonment, for the extortion against the entrepreneur Giuseppe Spera, with the aggravating circumstance of having committed the fact to facilitate our business.

On November 23, 2017 he was hit by an order for custody in jail because he was held responsible for the crime of extortion against the entrepreneur Angelo Nazareno Ienna, for facts dating back to 2011. He has a proceeding against the murder of the entrepreneur Vincenzo Urso occurred , in 2009, in Altavilla Milicia.

[aleksandrored]

31 May 2018 - Mafia di Leonforte, indictment for the boss Seminara

The provincial boss of Cosa Nostra Salvatore Seminara is accused of having somehow managed, albeit indirectly, also the clan of Leonforte, a rib of the criminal organization already headed by Giovanni Fiorenza, nicknamed "sacchinedda" or "u sapienti" and already convicted of mafia in the Homo Novus process. For this Seminara yesterday was sent to trial. The boss, defended by the lawyers Francesco Azzolina and Giuseppe Scillia, will be put on trial starting on July 10th by the Collegiate Court of Enna, presided over by Francesco Paolo Pitarresi, president of the penal section. The indictment was ordered by Gup Francesco Lauricella.



Salvatore Seminara

[CabriniGreen]

Great post, just saw these...

[aleksandrored]

07 June 2018 - Mafia in Catania, arrested after the 30-year sentence of the Santapaola clan

he police arrested in Catania Marco Battaglia, 49, for criminal association aimed at the trafficking of drugs, with the aggravating of the managerial role, as well as that of the mafia purpose, of the group of the Picanello district of the Santapaola-Herculaneum clan.

In his regard, the staff of the mobile team carried out a precautionary measure issued after the sentence of the first degree, two days ago, which found him guilty of the alleged offenses and sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment.

The man had been arrested by the mobile team in November 2010 as a precautionary measure issued as part of the same procedure, for drug dealing in competition with another individual.

He was then sent to trial and, during the hearing, following a supplementary complaint made by the Catania District Attorney, corroborated by the statements of numerous collaborators of justice of the Santapaola-Herculaneum gang, which indicated him as a subject actively involved in drug trafficking, manager of some squares related to the Picanello group, he was challenged the crime of criminal association aimed at illicit drug trafficking, with the aggravating of the managerial role, as well as the aggravating of the mafia purpose. Battle after the arrest was conducted in the Bicocca prison.


Marco Battaglia

[aleksandrored]

08 June 2018 - Mafia seizure of 300 thousand euros to alleged exponent of the Hat clan of Catania

A 300 thousand euro seizure was taken against Francesco Cambria, 34, considered close to the "Cappello - Bonaccorsi" mafia clan. The provision is aimed at the subsequent confiscation of assets, concerns movable and immovable property, sums of money and a company.

Francesco Cambria is the son of Andrea, considered by the investigators in the clan mafia clan "Hat". Cambria father had suffered a seizure of assets for 200 thousand euros already in October 2017, among them also some headed to the wife of Francesco Cambria.

Francesco Cambria has several criminal records, for crimes against property, the person and in matters of narcotics. He was arrested in 2003 for attempted robbery, while in 2010 he was arrested for drug-related offenses together with Brother Sebastiano.

The police operation was called Family, for the brothers the accusations were to be part of an armed criminal organization dedicated to the trafficking of drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, with the aggravating circumstance of facilitating the mafia clan "Cappello-Carateddu".

From a complex and articulated activity carried out by the court, measures prevention section, the seizure was also carried out for assets falsely registered to the wife Santa Venuto.

[aleksandrored]

08 June 2018 - Mafia, the "Viceroy" trial of the Laudani gang: fifty sentences

Fifty sentences and two acquittals. It is the sentence with the abbreviated rite issued by the Catania Gup Rosa Alba Recupid of the trial resulting from the "Viceroy" investigation against the Laudani gang. Among those convicted for external competition two lawyers: 6 years and 8 months for Salvatore Mineo, and 7 years and 4 months for Giuseppe Arcidiacono.

The provision lacks the patriarch Seabastiano Arcidiacono, the undisputed boss of the 'Mussu di ficurunià, who died last year, but there are his young heirs, framed by the investigations of the carabinieri, the investigation of the Pm Antonella Barrera, Lina Trovato and Santo Distefano, and from the revelations of the 'repented of rank Giuseppe Laudani, the nephew who broke the heart of his grandfather capomafia.

This is the sentence, contained in 40 pages of the Gup Recupido: Paolo Aloisio 4 years; Filippo Anastasi 10 years and 8 months; Archdeacon Joseph 7 years and 4 months; Carmelo Bonaccorso 11 years and 6 months; Alberto Caruso 13 years; Andrea Catti 12 years; Orazio Cucchiara 7 years and 4 months; Giuseppe D'Agata 7 years and 4 months; Sebastiano D'Antona acquitted for not having committed the fact; Vito Danzuso 8 years; Antonino Di Mauro 8 years; Salvatore Di Mauro 9 years; Giuseppe Fichera 10 years; Antonino Finocchiaro 8 years and 8 months; Sebastiano Flori 8 years; Antonino Fosco 8 years and 8 months; Saint Gerbino 11 years; Giovanni Giuffrida 10 years and 6 months; Sebastiano Granata 13 years; Giuseppe Grasso 10 months of daytime isolation (as an increase condemns life sentence); Franco Guglielmino 10 years and 4 months; Laudani concept, 10 years; Giuseppe Laudani (born in '46) 10 years; Santo Orazio Laudani 14 years; Sebastiano Laudani (class of '69) 14 years; Sebastiano Laudani (born in 1983) acquitted; Orazio Leonardi 10 years; Daniele Mangiagli 7 years and 4 months; Orazio Militello 8 years; Salvatore Mineo 6 years and 8 months; Giovanni Muscolino 8 years; Alfio Nucifora 10 years; Antonio Luca Pappalardo 10 years; Valerio Parasiliti Rantone 8 years and 8 months; Giuseppe Parenti 3 years; Leonardo Parisi 8 years and 8 months; Carmelo Pavone 12 years; Francesco Antonio Pistone 12 years and 8 months; Antonio Carmelo Alessandro Privitera 3 years; Alessandro Raimondo 3 years; Antonino Rapisarda, 9 years and 4 months; Alfio Romeo 10 years; Omar Scaravilli 10 years; Orazio Sciuto 8 years and 8 months; Maria Scuderi 8 years and 8 months; Horace Salvatore Scuto 14 years; Salvatore Sorbello 8 years and 8 months; Maurizio Tomaselli, 16 years; Michele Torrisi, sentence of no place to proceed due to death, Sebastiano Torrisi, 3 years; Antonino Franco Ventura 8 years and 2 months; and Daniele Magrì, 8 years and 8 months.

[aleksandrored]

19 June 2018 - Mafia and attempted extortion to Aidone, names and photos of the three arrested

Here are the names and photos of the three people arrested by the police in Aidone, at the conclusion of an investigation coordinated by the Dda of Caltanissetta and carried out by the Enna Mobile Squad, on charges of criminal association and attempted extortion of damages a entrepreneur owner of a construction company.

Isidoro Di Pino, Giuseppe Miccihè and Filippo Scivoli ended up in handcuffs. They are indicated as close to the Eastern Sicily boss Salvatore Seminara, released in 2013 by expiry of the terms of custody, at the top of the Caltagirone mafia family. The three, all of Aidone, would be closely linked to the Raddusa family, however controlled by Seminara himself.

The investigations also showed that one of those arrested would have been able to exercise significant influence on the Municipality of Aidone, in particular, in the management of waste collection and tree-related cutting related to urban decor, as well as in organizing entertainment initiatives to favor of a commercial activity.


Isidoro Di Pino


Filippo Scivoli


Giuseppe Miccihè

[aleksandrored]

19 June 2018 - Mafia, the clan of Paternò vanquished: names and photos of those arrested

The carabinieri of the provincial command of Catania have carried out a precautionary ordinance against 19 presumed heads and affiliates of the group of Paternò of the mafia clan Laudani. The alleged offenses, for various reasons, are mafia associations, trafficking and drug dealing, robbery, port and possession of weapons.

Here are the names and photos of those arrested


Samuele Cannavò





Alessandro Giuseppe Farina


Angioletto Farina


Emanuele Farina











Francesco Giuseppe Pappalardo


Giuseppe Patane’


Salvatore Rapisarda


Biagio Sambataro


Salvatore Sambataro


Sebastiano Tocra


Vincenzo Vinciullo


Giuseppe Arcidiacono


Antonino Barbagallo

The investigations of the Investigative Unit of the Operative Department, coordinated by the DDA of the Public Prosecutor's Office, have allowed the reconstruction of the clan's organizational chart characterized by a criminal autonomy also against the Catanese Cosa Nostra, with which he did not disdain to make alliances by participating in the bloodiest feuds of the eighties and nineties, with strong ties also with the 'ndrangheta Reggina.

It also emerged that the group leader continued to hold the ranks of the group from prison by issuing orders and directives through his wife, father-in-law and the nephew of a very faithful prisoner with him. On the operation there will be a press conference at 10.15 am in the Procura room.

[aleksandrored]

June 21, 2018 - Mafia, blitz against the Agrigento gangs: two more releases

The Court of Cassation has canceled with reference two other releases issued by the court of Palermo Riesame against the same number of people involved in the anti-mafia maxi blitz against the so-called agrigentino named Montagna. It is the sixth annulment decided by the Supreme Court.
To be revoked this time are the release of Luigi Pullara and Giacomo Di Dio investigated for mafia and extortion. The last few weeks had had the provisions issued for Franco Dugo, Pietro Reina, Giovanni Gattuso and Raffaele La Rosa, accused in various capacities of mafia association and mafia-political exchange vote.
The Roman judges, therefore, agree with the prosecutor and the investigating judge who ordered the arrests. The judges of the liberty had canceled for lack of motivation as many as 13 precautionary measures claiming that the judge had limited himself to make a copy and paste the request for arrest filed by the pm Gery Ferrara, Claudio Camilleri and Alessia Sinatra. A decision, that of the Riesame, which had returned free mafia and estortori despite the allegations of many victims cut and that was' rejected by the Ermellini.

Out of 63 arrests, 13 were canceled due to lack of motivation, 6 due to lack of precautionary requirements and 7 due to lack of serious clues. The Public Prosecutor has appealed to Cassation against 19 releases. The Cassation is ruling these days.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Great contributions Alex.

Enjoy and appreciate your posts!

[Wiseguy]

Lessons from the case against the Calabrian mafia: Organized crime is global, and flourishing

https://www.salon.com/amp/lessons-from- ... lourishing

[aleksandrored]

26 June 2018 - Mafia and betting, back in freedom architect of Partinico

The partisan architect Devis Zangara returns to freedom, arrested in recent months along with 30 other people in the Game Over operation on mafia and betting.

The Court of Review has accepted the request for release presented by the lawyers Antonio Ingroia and Antonio Maltese.

"Justice has been made, from today the architect Zangara will be able to return to work. After months of hard work we managed to prove the absolute innocence of our client with respect to the disputed facts. Devis Zangara was a stranger to any accusation against him - the lawyers Antonio Ingroia and Antonio Maltese say in a joint statement - Following the application for release from the court of first instance and rejected by the Gip Antonella Consiglio, we proposed an appeal. Our request was accepted by the Court of Review which issued the provision for release and ordered the release of the current accounts and the company registered in Zangara ".

According to the investigation, the mafia was aiming for safe money and a gigantic "washing machine" used to clean up dirty money. At the center of the investigation is Benedetto Bacchi, an entrepreneur from Partinico, which had over 700 betting agencies throughout Italy. In Sicily, thanks to Cosa Nostra, he would have worked almost as a monopoly. The millionaire entrepreneur has long been talking about various repentants. His name also appears in the latest investigation of the decree that has beheaded the mafia clan of San Lorenzo-Resuttana. "A part of Cosa Nostra - said prosecutor added Salvo De Luca after that investigation - is convinced that it is no longer time for extortion, too many risks, it is better to focus on the game and the bets." The role of architect Zangara in The organization set up by Bacchi was however questioned by the review which upheld the requests of the lawyers.


Devis Zangara

[aleksandrored]

26 June 2018 - Mafia, a 32 million kidnapping of a restaurateur from Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto

32 million euros were seized by a restaurateur from Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, considered a leading exponent of the Longano mafia family.

The entrepreneur is active in the catering sectors, ceremonial banquets, bars and food supply and is considered to belong to the so-called mafia family of the Barcelonesi.

The staff of Dia di Messina, supported by the operations center of Catania, has affixed the seals to the entrepreneur's assets, whose details have not yet been disclosed because the operation is still under way.

The seizure affects the share capital of companies, real estate and accounts, also in the name of third parties, was carried out at the disposal of the Measures for prevention of the court of Messina, on the proposal of the DDA attorney Maurizio De Lucia and the director of Dia Giuseppe Governale .

[aleksandrored]

June 27, 2018 - Mafia, suspects of Sciacca and Memphis remain in the cell

For Tommaso Gulotta, 53, of Menfi, the request for the cancellation of custody in prison was rejected. For Pellegrino Scirica, aged 63, a Memphis doctor, and for Domenico Friscia, 55, of Sciacca, the Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of the precautionary measure, but with a reference to the Court of Review.

The three, investigated in the antimafia operation "Opuntia" of the DDA of Palermo, remain in prison. For Gulotta and Scirica, the lawyer Flavio Moccia spoke to the Court of the Riesame, while for Friscia the lawyer Teo Caldarone.