Mafia Capitale

Last updated
Mafia Capitale
Founded1999
Founder Massimo Carminati
Salvatore Buzzi
Years active1999–2014
Territory Rome
Activities Money laundering, conspiracy, racket, usury, political corruption, corruption

The Mafia Capitale is the name given to an organized crime organization, [1] [2] and subsequent investigation, [3] involving the government of the city of Rome, in which members stole money destined for city services and carried out other criminal activities such as racketeering, conspiracy, loan-sharking, extortion, fraud, money laundering, illegal works, and bribery in the public administration. It operated in the city of Rome. [4] However in 2020 the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation ruled out the mafia character of the criminal acts. [5]

Contents

Background

A police investigation by Rome's chief prosecutor, Giuseppe Pignatone, revealed a network of corrupt relationships between some politicians and criminals in the Italian capital. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

The criminal actions took advantage of the recent influx of immigrants to Italy, gaining public contracts to manage migrant reception centres. [11] The criminal organization also used its connections to secure lucrative public contracts, before accepting payments for substandard or, sometimes, non-existent services. Among those investigated are former mayor Gianni Alemanno and the bosses Salvatore Buzzi and Massimo Carminati, a former member of Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari and Banda della Magliana, [8] as well as members of the 'Ndrangheta. [12]

A 1200-page arrest warrant was issued in December 2014, and was followed by dozens of arrests. [9] [11] Among those investigated and arrested of the government of the city were the president of Rome's city council, the head of the city's public-housing division, [13] and the former president of Ostia. [14]

On 18 December 2015, Alemanno was indicted for corruption and illicit financing. According to the accusation, Alemanno received €125,000 from the cooperatives' boss Salvatore Buzzi. [15] On 7 February 2017, the allegation of an external cooperation in a mafia association was filed, including the allegations of corruption and illicit funding. [16]

On 20 July 2017, Carminati was sentenced to 20 years in jail, along with other various sentences of his associates. [17] On 11 September 2018, on appeal, Carminati was sentenced to 14 years and six months, with Buzzi sentenced to 18 years and four months. [18]

The events of the Mafia Capitale investigation are the basis for the 2015 film Suburra , [19] and the 2017 TV series Suburra: Blood on Rome . [20] [21]

Related Research Articles

"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of disputes between criminals as well as the organization and enforcement of illicit agreements between criminals through the use of or threat of violence. Mafias often engage in secondary activities such as gambling, loan sharking, drug-trafficking, prostitution, and fraud.

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The Banda della Magliana was an Italian criminal organization based in Rome. It was founded in 1975. Given by the media, the name refers to the original neighborhood, the Magliana, of some of its members. It is considered the most powerful and violent criminal organization ever to operate in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pasquale Condello</span> Italian criminal

Pasquale Condello is an Italian criminal known as a member of the 'Ndrangheta. He is also known as Il supremo for his role at the top of the crime syndicate. He was a fugitive since 1990 and included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture in February 2008. Investigators called him the "Provenzano of Calabria" – a reference to Bernardo Provenzano, the Sicilian "boss of bosses" who was arrested in 2006 after some 40 years as a fugitive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gianni Alemanno</span> Italian politician (born 1958)

Giovanni "Gianni" Alemanno is an Italian politician who from April 2008 until June 2013 was mayor of Rome for The People of Freedom. He was the secretary of the National Movement for Sovereignty from 2017 to 2019.

Giorgio De Stefano is an Italian criminal and a member of the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, a Mafia-type criminal organisation in Calabria. He belongs to the De Stefano 'ndrina, based in the Archi neighbourhood in the city of Reggio Calabria, and is a cousin of the historical boss Paolo De Stefano. He has a degree in criminal law and is often referred to as "the lawyer". According to anti-mafia investigators, he represents "the brains" of the De Stefano clan, able to elaborate alliances and strategies, with a typically managerial approach, identifying the most lucrative criminal activities to be implemented.

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References

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  2. "La Procura spiega il sistema-Roma: 'È la 'Mafia Capitale', romana e originale'". Rainews.it. Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  3. "LA SENTENZA DI PRIMO GRADO- Carminati e Buzzi condannati, ma cade l'accusa di mafia" (in Italian). ansa.it. 11 September 2018.
  4. "La Procura spiega il sistema-Roma: "È la 'Mafia Capitale', romana e originale"". Rai - Radiotelevisione. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  5. "Mondo di mezzo, ecco perché per la Cassazione Buzzi e Carminati sono "criminali semplici": "A Roma funzionari assoggettati e collusione sistemica. Forme di corruzione sistematica ma non c'era mafia"". ilfattoquotidiano.it (in Italian). 12 June 2020.
  6. Mackenzie, James (2014-12-04). "Rome mayor orders review of contracts amid graft scandal". Reuters. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  7. Mackenzie, James (2015-06-04). "Italy hit by new corruption scandal over migrant centres | Reuters". Uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  8. 1 2 Squires, Nick. "'Mafia capital': Rome hit by mobster scandal". Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  9. 1 2 Povoledo, Elisabetta (12 December 2014). "World - Print Headline: "Italy Gasps as Inquiry Reveals Mob's Long Reach". The New York Times . Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  10. "Ecco la 'mafia Capitale': 37 arresti per appalti del Comune. Indagato anche Alemanno". la Repubblica . December 2, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Italy arrests 44 in mafia migrant centre probe". Bbc.com. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  12. Squires, Nick. "Rome mafia scandal broadens to 'Ndrangheta in southern Italy". Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  13. Barbie Latza Nadeau (6 December 2014). "The Mayor Who Took Down the Mafia That Ruined Rome". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  14. Autore Ospite (2015-06-04). "'MAFIA CAPITAL' – 44 PEOPLE ARRESTED". Interris.it. Archived from the original on 2017-05-29. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  15. "Alemanno indicted in Rome Mafia case". ansa.it. 18 December 2015.
  16. "Mafia Capitale, 113 archiviazioni. Alemanno: "Ora voglio le scuse"" (in Italian). adnkronos.com. 7 February 2017.
  17. "Rome corruption gang leaders jailed". BBC News. 20 July 2017.
  18. "Mondo di mezzo, sentenza d'appello: 18 anni a Buzzi, 14 anni a Carminati. C'è l'associazione mafiosa" (in Italian). rainews.it. 11 September 2018.
  19. "Suburra: tra fiction e realtà, "Mafia Capitale" era già in un libro". Repubblica.it (in Italian). 14 December 2014.
  20. "Placido: "Suburra senza censure su mafia capitale"". LaStampa.it (in Italian). 5 October 2017.
  21. "L'anteprima di "Suburra", Netflix racconta al mondo la Roma di Mafia Capitale". LaStampa.it (in Italian). 3 September 2017.