Sep 28 2008
According to daily La Repubblica, Mafia Capos and picciottis (soldiers) were regularly allocated at least 100 VIP tickets to sit at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
Pentiti – those who were formerly part of the “family” and have now repented – have disclosed all the details behind this established system. Continue Reading »
Sep 25 2008
Frank J. Valenti, Rochester’s notorious mob boss who oversaw local organized crime during its heyday of gambling parlors, prostitution and extortion, died Saturday at age 97.
While atop Rochester’s organized crime mob hierarchy in the 1960s and ’70s, Mr. Valenti was so infamous that the Democrat and Chronicle ran a regular update on his doings under the heading, “Spotlight on Rochester’s Gambling Czar.” Continue Reading »
Sep 25 2008
An Italian minister has said the Camorra mafia in the south of the country has “declared a civil war”.
Roberto Maroni, who has despatched 900 security personnel to the Naples area, described the murders of an Italian and six Africans in shooting last week as an “act of terrorism”.
“The Camorra has declared a civil war on the state, which must respond firmly and regain control of the region,” he said in televised remarks to the Italian senate. Continue Reading »
Sep 25 2008
An audacious scheme to revitalise a depressed Sicilian town by selling its dilapidated, earthquake-damaged houses for one euro each has attracted more than 2,000 eager applicants.
The musician Peter Gabriel and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour are among the hundreds of people who have reportedly expressed an interest in snapping up a bargain in the craggy hilltop town of Salemi. Continue Reading »
Sep 25 2008
Staff in profitable businesses are leaving too much of their personal information online, which could make them vulnerable to extortion from the Russian and Italian Mafia, a former FBI undercover agent has warned.
Joe Pistone, who worked at the FBI for 27 years, said the Russian and Italian Mafia were using data from public sites to launch attacks against businesses and individuals. Continue Reading »
Sep 25 2008
Ognyan Stefanov, 54, was attacked by four men who broke his arms and legs as he left a restaurant in the capital on Monday.
Dozens of Bulgarian journalists protested in central Sofia on Thursday to demand a crackdown on organised crime after an editor was injured in an assault described by parliament as an attack on freedom of speech. Continue Reading »
