Coluccio extradited to Italy

Giuseppe Coluccio (left), reputed leader in the 'Ndrangheta criminal society, was returned to Italian soil yesterday, according to stories by the Associated Press and AGI news agencies.

Coluccio, convicted in absentia of drug, weapons and conspiracy charges, was a fugitive since 2005. He was arrested Aug. 7 near Toronto, Canada, and was flown to Rome's Ciampino Airport yesterday morning.

The 'Ndrangheta is a Mafia-like criminal organization based in Calabria, the southernmost region of the Italian mainland.

Italian jails aren't as much fun as they used to be

Flouting many years of tradition, the conservative Italian government of Silvio Berlusconi (left) seems intent on making prison an unpleasant experience.

According to a story by Nick Pisa of the UK Telegraph, the Berlusconi administration has been cracking down on prison privileges formerly extended to convicted Mafiosi. Among the measures recently instituted, inmates are prohibited from singing. Officials noted the possibility that convicted crime bosses could communicate orders through their songs.

Prison socializing has also been curtailed. It is common for Mafiosi deemed dangerous to be locked in their cells for 23 hours each day and to have only limited exposure to family, friends and attorneys. The government has a list of 570 prisoners it feels are threats to society.

"We have evidence that in the past orders and messages were passed on and we have also stopped them mixing with each other as well. They will spend the majority of their day alone in their cells," Justice Minister Angelino Alfano said.

Fugitive 'Ndrangheta leader caught in Canada

A Canadian immigration board has decided that Giuseppe Coluccio poses a danger to the public and will remain in prison until a full hearing can be held, according to a story by the Canadian Press.

Coluccio (right), a 41-year-old fugitive from Italy, was arrested last Thursday outside a Toronto-area strip mall. If he is returned to Italy, he faces up to 16 years in prison.

He allegedly fled Italy in 2005 when he was being investigated for drug trafficking. Canadian authorities believe he entered their country with a fake ID, according to a story by Rob Lamberti of the Toronto Sun. An immigration warrant was issued for him in 2006.

Italian law enforcement officials say Coluccio is related to Rocco and Giuseppe Aquino, leaders of the Gioiosa Jonica clan of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta criminal society. According to the officials, Coluccio has been involved in cocaine and heroin shipments, using links with the Cutrera-Caruana Mafia clan and Turkish crime groups.

Coluccio was reportedly convicted of narcotics trafficking in Italy in 1993. He served 10 years of a 12-year prison sentence.

William Willoughby, member of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board, told Coluccio yesterday, "I believe that releasing you now would pose a danger to the Canadian public. I believe that you are involved in organized crime, and specifically, the head of a Mafia organization."

Italian court upholds Camorra life sentences

An Italian Court last week upheld life sentence penalties imposed on 16 convicted leaders of the Casalesi Camorra clan, according to reports by RTTNews and Malcom Moore of the U.K. Telegraph.

The 16 leaders, including alleged boss Francesco "Sandokan" Schiavone (left) were sentenced to life late in 2005 after the "Spartacus trial" held in Santa Maria Capua Vetere north of Naples. Michele Zagaria and Antonio Iovine, alleged to be leaders of the criminal organization, were among those sentenced to life terms though they remain at large. Ten other defendants were convicted in the trial and sentenced to lesser terms.

The Casalesi clan was primarily involved in toxic waste disposal, extortion and monopolization of the cement market between Naples and Salerno, according to Judge Raffaello Magi. "They control the distribution of essential products. They control elections, and they offer protection and market opportunities to businesses," he said.

Investigators believe the Casalesi clan, based in the town of Casal di Principe, held assets amounting to billions of dollars. The group is believed responsible for numerous murders. During the trial, five people involved in the case were killed. The lives of a judge and two journalists were threatened.

Five hundred witnesses were called in that trial. Twenty former clan members provided evidence against their old underworld colleagues.

Schiavone was apprehended in 1999, as he attempted to escape from police by climbing over a garden wall at his personal villa.

Italian underworld blamed for tainted wine, cheese

Italian authorities have linked the production of tainted and possibly poisonous wines with the Sacra Corona Unita underworld organization, according to a story by the AFP press service.

At least 70 million liters of the wine, selling at an inexpensive price of about $3 a bottle, are believed to have been contaminated with acid, manure and other fertilizers. Twenty wine companies are being investigated. Two companies based in Taranto, Italy, and believed to be controlled by Sacra Corona Unita appear to have been the main source of the tainted drink.

Recently Italian officials had to remove mozzarella cheese from the market when dioxin levels were detected. Authorities theorize that the buffalo milk cheese was contaminated through a Camorra-related buildup of trash around the Naples area of Italy.

'Ndrangheta grabs government funds online

The 'ndrangheta criminal society of Italy's Calabria region is believed responsible for the recent online theft of Italian government funds. Italian police say the money was transfered from a government bank account to Bologna and then to Egypt. The theft was noticed six weeks ago but officials kept it secret as police investigated. Authorities believe someone aided the theft by providing government security passwords.

Italy arrests 'Ndrangheta leader Condello

Italian police have nabbed the man they consider the "number one boss of the 'Ndrangheta" criminal society based in Reggio Calabria, according to a report by Gavin Jones of the Reuters news agency. Pasquale Condello, 57, was arrested Feb. 19. Authorities said his position in the underworld of the southern mainland of Italy was similar to that of Mafia boss of bosses Bernardo Provenzano of Sicily. Condello had been a fugitive from justice since a murder conviction in the late 1980s. Investigators believe his 'Ndrangheta organization controls cocaine trafficking through much of Europe.

Feud claims sons of Calabrian mob boss

Two sons of jailed Calabrian mob boss Vincent Comberiati were shot to death earlier this week, apparent victims of an ongoing feud within the 'Ndrangheta criminal society, according to a report in the Australian Daily Telegraph.

Francesco Comberiati, 24, died in the driver's seat of his car. Luigi Comberiati, 29, fled his car parked nearby and hid in a restaurant kitchen. Gunmen found him and killed him.

The ANSA news agency reports that the murders are part of a struggle for dominance in drug trafficking and other underworld rackets in mainland Italy's southernmost region. The feud is believed also to have been the cause of six murders of Italians within Germany this past August.

Vincent Comberiati has been in prison for several years.

Pope denounces "disgraceful" Camorra

On his first papal visit to the city of Naples, Pope Benedict (right) denounced yesterday the criminal activity and culture of violence of the Camorra criminal society, according to a report by Phil Steward of the Reuters news service.

"...That violence tends to become a widespread mentality... with the risk of especially attracting the young," the pope warned.

Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe of Naples delivered a similar message, stating, "Violence is always an offense against God."

Naples, somewhat ironically, is hosting an inter-faith conference on the role of religion in combatting worldwide violence. The city, which is the traditional home of the Camorra, has been plagued by violence. Last November, the Italian government considered sending in military forces to halt the clashes between Camorra gangs.

At that time, Campania regional Governor Antonio Bassolino called the Camorra, "a deadly cancer."

U.S. won't extradite drug criminal

U.S. Immigration Judge D.D. Sitgraves cited humanitarian reasons for refusing an Italian extradition request for convicted drug trafficker Rosario Gambino, according to an Oct. 15 story by Anna Gorman of the Los Angeles Times.

The judge was concerned that Gambino would be subjected to physical and psychological pressure amounting to "torture" while in Italian custody.

According to a story by John Hooper of the UK Guardian, Italy routinely places restrictions on imprisoned organized criminals. They spend much of their time in solitary confinement, have limited access to open air and to family visits. Their mail is censored. Italian officials say the restrictions are necessary to ensure that Mafiosi do not continue to run their criminal enterprises while in prison.

Gambino's attorney P. Joseph Sandoval explained, "It's a humanitarian issue. The prison conditions in his specific case will be life-threatening and life-shortening."

Gambino, a reputed member of the crime family sharing his name, has served 22 years in a California prison on a drug trafficking conviction. He was removed to an immigration detention center last year, as his appeal against the Italian extradition request was processed.

U.S. immigration officials plan to appeal the judge's decision.

'Ndrangheta informant dies before testifying

There is concern that Bruno Piccolo, an informant on the workings of the 'Ndrangheta criminal society of Calabria, Italy, was "suicided" while under official protection, according to a story published by the UK Guardian.

Piccolo's lifeless body was found Tuesday in an Adriatic coast hideaway. Preliminary findings indicated that Piccolo ended his own life, but Italian political leaders are demanding a complete investigation. Piccolo was preparing to testify on the 2005 assassination of Calabrian politician Francesco Fortugno.

Italy intercepts black market arms deal with Iraq

Italian police recently stumbled onto information related to the planned black market sale of more than 100,000 Russian-made automatic weapons to the Iraqi government, according to a story published by CBS News.

The deal was uncovered by Operation Parabellum, originally an anti-Mafia probe. Early last year, police searching airline baggage for smuggled drugs found helmets, bulletproof vests and a catalog of weapons. Police were eventually led to the details of a $40 million deal.

The Iraqi participants in the deal claimed in e-mails with Italian brokers that the purchase had the approval of the U.S. government. A U.S. spokesman in Baghdad denied that.

None guilty of Calvi murder

An Italian jury acquitted all five defendants charged with the 1982 murder of financier Roberto Calvi, according to an Associated Press story published in the UK Guardian.

Calvi (left) had been known both as "God's banker" for his close ties to the Vatican.

Calvi's body was found hanging from London's Blackfriars Bridge with rocks and cash stuffed into his suit. The death was initially ruled a suicide, as it coincided closely with the scandalous collapse of Calvi's Banco Ambrosiano establishment. The collapse also involved the Vatican's own bank.

Italian prosecutors eventually charged Giuseppe "Pippo" Calo with ordering a hit on Calvi. Calo, known as the "Mafia's cashier" because of his money-laundering efforts, is currently serving a jail sentence for unrelated Mafia charges. Prosecutors theorized that Calvi and Calo partnered in money-laundering deals until Calo became convinced that Calvi was pocketing some funds.

Also charged were Flavio Carboni, Ernesto Diotallevi, Calvi's driver Silvano Vittor and Carboni's ex-girlfriend Manuela Kleinszig. Prosecutors abandoned their case against Kleinszig.

Related MobNews post:

• Charged with banker's murder, four face life in prison 03-08-07

Italy arrests 10 funeral racketeers

Ten people, including the reputed head of the Sinesi clan in southern Italy, have been arrested in connection with an organized crime racket controlling funeral homes, according to a report in the UK Telegraph.

The suspects were charged with extorting money from 13 funeral homes in the city of Foggia while building a monopoly in funeral arrangements and transport.

Authorities track the growth of the racket to the release from prison last February of Robert Sinesi, 45, and Raffaele Tolonese, 48. Tolonese is regarded as a senior capo in the Strisciouglio family. The Sinesi and Stirciouglio clans are said to be key elements of the Sacra Corona Unita, Italy's fourth largest crime syndicate.

Police are investigating the involvement of hospital personnel in the racket. Nurses, ambulance drivers and security guards are believed to have passed death count information on to underworld contacts and to have helped direct grieving families to connected funeral homes.

Panzuto agrees to extradition

Gennaro Panzuto, 32, held in custody in the UK, has agreed to be extradited to his native Italy for trial, according to a report in the Lancashire Evening Post. Italian officials have charged Panzuto with running a criminal organization known as the Pincirillo clan in Naples. UK and Italian police tracked him to Lancashire, where he was arrested last week. He is scheduled to be returned to Italy in about 10 days.

Related MobNews post:

• Reputed mob chief arrested in UK 05-24-07

Reputed mob chief arrested in UK

Extradition proceedings against reputed Italian underworld leader Gennaro Panzuto, 32, begin in a London magistrate's court today, according to a report by BBC News. Italy filed a warrant of extradition with the UK in order to prosecute Panzuto for alleged organized criminal offenses.

After a cooperative effort by Italian and UK police agencies, Panzuto (right) was arrested last week in Lancashire, UK, according to a report on the Manchester.com website.

He has been charged with association with a criminal network and firearms crimes. He is also reportedly suspected of involvement in four organized crime murders in Italy, of extortion and of establishing businesses in Manchester and London to launder underworld funds. An initial review of the extradition papers was held on May 17.

Vittorio Pisano, a law enforcement official from Naples, Italy, stated that Panzuto was the head of the Pincirillo underworld clan of southern Italy, taking over that group from his uncles upon their arrests two years ago. The Pincirillos have battled the Missos clan in Naples for months. Police attribute 20 killings to the feud.

Accused 'godmother' returns to UK

Ann Hathaway reached a deal with Italian prosecutors that allowed for her return to Britain last night, according to a story published by the UK Guardian Unlimited.

Hathaway, 44-year-old mother of two and the wife of jailed Sicilian Mafioso Antonio Rinzivillo (the couple appear in the photo above), admitted to Mafia associations and was given a suspended sentence by an Italian court. She was released and returned home to the Middleton area.

Italian prosecutors had arranged for her extradition from the UK by arguing that she managed her husband's underworld empire in his absence. Hathaway has denied the charge.

Related MobNews posts:

• Hathaway agrees to return to Italy 03-23-07
• UK's Hathaway faces extradition to Italy 01-25-07
• UK 'Godmother' arrested 01-19-07
• UK press tracks Mafia 'godmother' 01-08-07

Hathaway agrees to return to Italy

A British court decided today that Ann Hathaway (above), 44, will return to Italy within the next 10 days, according to a story in the Manchester Evening News. Facing Mafia-related charges in Italy, Hathaway reportedly agreed to the extradition.

The Italian government insists that the wife of jailed Sicilian Mafia boss Antonio Rinzivillo helped to administer the Rinzivillo empire in his absence. After Rinzivillo's conviction, Hathaway returned to her hometown in the Manchester area, where she lived with her two children. The Italian government requested her extradition, and Hathaway was arrested at her home on Jan. 18.

She faces a possible sentence of 24 years in prison if convicted of all charges against her.

Related MobNews posts:

• UK's Hathaway faces extradition to Italy 01-25-07
• UK 'Godmother' arrested 01-19-07
• UK press tracks Mafia 'godmother' 01-08-07
  

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Italy arrests 200 in Camorra crackdown

A thousand police officers swept through Naples, Italy, neighborhoods before dawn on March 20 and arrested nearly 200 suspected drug criminals, according to a report by BBC News.

Police said they were targeting two clans of the local Camorra underworld organization. Entire families, including women and children, were taken into custody and charged with drug dealing or drug trafficking.

Related MobNews posts:

• Italian police arrest more than 100 12-14-06
• Camorra secure in Italy's Scampia 11-15-06
• Naples violence continues despite crackdown 11-09-06
• Italy mulls sending troops to combat Camorra 11-01-06
• LaTorre to be extradited from Scotland 10-28-06
• Caldarelli emotional during UK hearing 09-13-06
• Arrested in London after hiding out for 11 years 09-08-06
• Naples grapples with 'uncivilized' image 08-10-06
• UK Camorra boss to be deported 07-14-06
• Camorra leader held in Spain 06-25-06
• Camorra boss gets 30 years 05-18-06
• 'Bluff the Bandits' in Naples 05-13-06

Charged with banker's murder, four face life in prison

An Italian prosecutor is asking for life prison terms for the four men charged with the June 17, 1982, London murder of a prominent banker, according to a story by Stephen Brown of Reuters UK.

Roberto Calvi (left), once head of the now defunct Banco Ambrosiano, was found dead, hanging from a rope under the Blackfriars Bridge. While his death was initially ruled a suicide, additional forensic evidence surfaced indicating that the suicide was staged and Calvi had been murdered by strangulation.

Accused of the crime are Pippo Calo, an alleged Sicilian Mafioso once known as the Mafia's treasurer; alleged Rome crime boss Ernesto Diotallevi; Sardinian financier Flavio Carboni; and Calvi's bodyguard Silvano Vittor. All the defendants have denied involvement.

Calvi had connections to the Vatican administration and was sometimes called "God's banker." The Vatican Bank was found to own a piece of Banco Ambrosiano when that institution failed just before Calvi's death. At the time, it was Italy's largest bank failure. Banco Ambrosiano is believed to have helped launder money for the Mafia. Calvi is theorized to have skimmed some of the money for himself.

Facing a four-year sentence in connection with the bank collapse, Calvi traveled to London in 1982.

Calvi was also linked with the secret Masonic lodge known as P2, which might in turn have had links to a right-wing terrorist organization. Among other activities, P2 is believed to have been involved in the bombing of a Bologna railway station in 1980. The P2 organization's leader, Licio Gelli, reportedly worked with Mafia leaders on a plan for Sicilian secession from Italy in the 1990s. That movement is blamed for the killings of anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.