Francesco Bidognetti (born January 21, 1951, in Casal di Principe [1] ) is a powerful Italian Camorrista. He is the chief lieutenant of Francesco Schiavone, boss of the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta, and head of the Bidognetti clan, one of the five clans which make up the Casalesi. He is known as "'Cicciott' 'e Mezzanotte'" (Neapolitan for Midnight Frankie). [2]
The Bidognetti and Tavoletta clans are very strong in the northern towns of Caserta province. They operate several illegal dumps between Naples and Caserta. Tonnes of dangerous waste from northern and central Italy are planted in the dumps, as well as toxic wastes from factories, hospitals and cemeteries. [3] As such, Bidognetti is considered by Italian law enforcement to be the boss of the waste disposal arm of the clan. [4]
Bidognetti's lover, Angela Barra ruled the territory of Teverola and was the main conduit of all the political and economic alliances of the Casalesi Clan. In 1990, Bidognetti ordered the death of a medical doctor, Gennaro Falco, for having not taken proper care of his wife by failing to diagnose her with cancer in time. [5]
His nephew Gaetano Cerci is believed to be the key link between the clan and Licio Gelli, head of the defunct P2 masonic lodge. Many tapped telephone conversations by the Roman police proved that Cerci stayed several times at Gelli's house in Villa Wanda, near Arezzo. In 1993, Villa Wanda was searched, on orders of the Naples public prosecutor, but police failed to find the computer discs that they were looking for. [6]
Anna Carrino, Bidognetti's wife was arrested in November 2007 and charged with passing messages from her imprisoned husband to his subordinates on the outside. She subsequently became a pentito and began giving away information that resulted in a number of major raids aimed at suspected members of the Camorra. She also provided information that led to the arrest of 52 Casalesi clan members in April 2008. Among those arrested was Bidognetti's son, Raffaele. [7] Anna was moved to in a top-security jail after the Casalesi put a million-pound contract on her.[ citation needed ] The two scion of Francesco Bidognetti, Aniello and Raffaele, hit recently by an order of the harsh 416-bis prion regime. [8]
In October 2003, Bidognetti and his son Aniello were indicted for the murder of doctor Gennaro Falco in the town of Parete. Two weeks later, Casalesi clan members Sebastiano Caterino and Umberto De Falco were murdered. Finally in June 2008, Bidognetti, Schiavone and 14 other Casalesi bosses were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Spartacus maxi-trial. Michele Zagaria and Antonio Iovine, two other Casalesi bosses, got the same sentence and were arrested on 7 December 2011 and 17 November 2010 respectively.
The 10-year legal trial, named as such in recognition of the need to fight a revolution in the Casalesi's territory, charged 36 members of the clan with a string of murders and other crimes. All were found guilty and 16 sentenced to life imprisonment. More than 500 witnesses testified in the trial which saw the heaviest penalties ever for organised crime with a total of 700 years of imprisonment. Over the course of the initial trial and the appeal, five people involved in the case were murdered, including an interpreter. A judge and two journalists were threatened with death. [9]
In March 2008, through his lawyers in the courtroom, Francesco Bidognetti accused the prosecutor of the Dda, Antonio Cantone of being unduly influenced by the pentiti and the anti-Mafia journalists, Rosaria Capacchione, of the newspaper "Il Mattino ", and Roberto Saviano, author of the best-selling book Gommora, which deals with the criminal activities of the Casalesi clan. His lawyer further demanded the transfer of the trials of Bidognetti and fellow fugitive Casalesi boss, Antonio Iovine to Rome for "legitimate suspiscions". [10]
On May 2, 2008, Bidognetti's uncle, Umberto was murdered at Castel Volturno, due to his son Domenico's collaboration with the police. He had refused police protection after his son's repentance. In the following month, a group of hitmen disguised as police officers wounded Anna Carrino, the niece of Anna Carrino, in Villaricca. She was shot in the stomach when she opened the door. Carrino's testimony led to the arrest of several of his henchmen. However, police believe that the real target of the attack may have been the woman's mother, Anna Carrino's sister. These incidents are believed to be part of the murder strategy of Iovine and Zagaria, in order to dissuade those who wish to collaborate with law enforcement. [11] [12]
Bidognetti's son, Gianluca, was arrested on November 21, 2008, and charged with the attempted murder of Anna Carrino's niece. [13]
The Camorra is an Italian Mafia-type criminal organization and criminal society originating in the region of Campania. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 17th century. Unlike the pyramidal structure of the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra's organizational structure is divided into individual groups also called "clans". Every capo or "boss" is the head of a clan, in which there may be tens or hundreds of affiliates, depending on the clan's power and structure. Consequently, as Camorra clans act independently, they are more prone to feuding among themselves. The Camorra's main businesses are drug trafficking, racketeering, counterfeiting and money laundering. It is also not unusual for Camorra clans to infiltrate the politics of their respective areas.
Castel Volturno is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northwest of Naples and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of Caserta on the Volturno river. In 2010 Castel Volturno was inhabited by 25,000 locals and about 18,000 African refugees. Today (2019) there are still about 25,000 people, estimated two-thirds of them are immigrants.
Roberto Saviano is an Italian writer, essayist, and screenwriter. In his writings, including articles and his book Gomorrah, he uses literature and investigative reporting to tell of the economic reality of the territory and business of organized crime in Italy, in particular the Camorra crime syndicate, and of organized crime more generally.
The Nuova Famiglia was an Italian Camorra confederation created in the 1970s and headed by the most powerful Camorra bosses of the time, Carmine Alfieri, the Nuvoletta brothers, Michele Zaza, Luigi Giuliano and Antonio Bardellino, to face Raffaele Cutolo's Nuova Camorra Organizzata, and affiliated with the Sicilian Mafia.
Carmine Alfieri is an Italian Camorra boss, who rose from Piazzolla di Nola to become one of the most powerful members of Neapolitan Camorra in the 1980s. As boss of the Alfieri clan, he was one of the most influential and powerful Camorra bosses from 1984 until his arrest in 1992. Alfieri's nickname is 'o 'ntufato, the angry one, thanks to the dissatisfied, angry sneer he wears constantly.
Francesco Schiavone is a member of the Camorra, the Caserta organized crime syndicate, and the head of the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta. He has been dubbed Sandokan after a popular 1970s television series starring Kabir Bedi because of his thick, dark beard.
Antonio Bardellino was a powerful Neapolitan Camorrista and boss of the Casalesi clan, having a prominent role in the organized crime in the province of Caserta during the 1980s. He was one of the last of the old-style Camorra godfathers.
The Casalesi clan is a clan within the Camorra, an Italian criminal organization, operating from San Cipriano d’Aversa in the province of Caserta between Naples and Latium. Formed by Antonio Bardellino, it is a confederation of clans in the Caserta area. The Casalesi clan is believed to be one of the most powerful groups within the Camorra, specialising in construction and keeping a lower profile than clans that focus on drug dealing.
Michele Zagaria is an Italian Camorrista and one of the bosses of the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta northwest of Naples. He was nicknamed Capastorta, which translates to "twisted head", because of his violent reputation.
Antonio Iovine is a powerful Italian Camorrista and one of the bosses of the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta between Naples and Lazio. His nickname is 'o ninno, because of his baby face when he was made a capo at a very young age.
The Spartacus Maxi-Trial(Italian: Processo Spartacus) was a series of criminal trials, each specifically directed against the activities of the powerful Casalesi clan of the Camorra. The trial was opened at the Corte d'Assise of Santa Maria Capua Vetere in Caserta. It was named after the historical gladiator, Spartacus, and so named in recognition of the need to fight a revolt in the Casalesi clan's territory. The trial was initially chaired by its president, Catello Marano on 1 July 1998. It continued just over ten years, until its final verdict was eventually read on 19 June 2008.
The Castel Volturno massacre is the name given by the Italian press to a mass shooting perpetrated by the Casalesi clan that caused the deaths of seven people on 18 September 2008. The massacre outside the Ob Ob Exotic Fashion tailor shop on the Via Domitiana was widely characterized as part of a growing conflict between the native Camorra and the immigrant African drug gangs. Murdered were Antonio Celiento, the owner of an arcade next to Baia Verde, and six African immigrants: Samuel Kwaku, 26 (Togo); Alaj Ababa (Togo); Francis Antwi, 31 (Ghana); Eric Affum Yeboah, 25 (Ghana); Alex Geemes, 28 (Liberia) and Cristopher Adams, 28 (Liberia). Joseph Ayimbora (Ghana), 34, survived by feigning death; he later helped identify the killers. None of the African victims were involved in criminal activities and were chosen at random.
Giuseppe Setola is an Italian Camorrista and former boss of the Casalesi clan from Caserta. Since 2008, he was included on the list most wanted fugitives in Italy, until his arrest on January 14, 2009, in Mignano Monte Lungo. Setola allegedly headed a squad of killers, and was said to have ordered or carried out 18 murders throughout the latter half of 2008. Police began a massive manhunt against Setola in response to the murders of six West African immigrants in Castel Volturno.
Domenico Bidognetti is a former member of the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta between Naples and Salerno. He is a cousin of Casalesi boss, Francesco Bidognetti. He became a pentito and collaborated with Italian Justice in early 2008. His nickname is "Bruttaccione".
Carmine Schiavone was a former member of the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta between Naples and Salerno. He was a cousin of former Camorra superboss Francesco Schiavone and became a pentito collaborating with Italian Justice. He was the chief witness against the Casalesi clan during the Spartacus Maxi trial that culminated in sixteen senior Casalesi figures being sentenced to life imprisonment, among them Francesco Bidognetti, Michele Zagaria and Antonio Iovine. After living in the Witness Protection Program for some years, Schiavione retired to live in the province of Viterbo, with his wife and two children.
Raffaele Diana is an Italian Camorrista and senior boss of the Casalesi clan from Caserta. His nickname is Rafilotto.
Nicola Panaro, is an Italian Camorrista and member in the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta between Naples and Salerno. He has been on the "most wanted list" of the Italian ministry of the Interior since 2003 until his arrest in April 2010. Convicted for extortion and membership in the Camorra, he has yet to serve a prison sentence of nine years and four months.