WIDE-RANGING DIA OPERATION TO COMBAT ORGANISED CRIME: DOZENS OF PRE-TRIAL MEASURES AND SEIZURES WORTH OVER 130 MILLION EUROS UNDER WAY, EMPLOYING OVER 500 LE OFFICERS THROUGHOUT ITALY

A vast operation of the Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate is underway throughout Italy involving over 500 officers upon the orders of the Anti-Mafia District Directorate of Rome. This is to implement an order, issued by the G.I.P. of the Court of Rome at the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rome – District Anti-Mafia Directorate, which ordered pre-trial measures against 18 persons, considered to be seriously suspected of being part of two associations, with the aggravating circumstance of mafia association, based in Rome and aimed at committing extortion, usury, fictitious registration of assets, money laundering, self-laundering and re-investment of illegal proceeds in economic activities. The operation is in progress. The crimes are aggravated by having facilitated the MAZZARELLA – D’AMICO camorra clans, the MANCUSO and MAZZAFERRO ‘ndrangheta gangs and the Senese clan.

More specifically, the investigation was launched in March 2018 by the Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate – Rome Operations Centre under the coordination of the DDA of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Rome. During the investigation, serious hints were collected regarding the existence of a proper money laundering centre, operating in Rome and with connections all over the national territory, which took advantage of the intimidating force of the associative bond and of the condition of subjugation deriving both from the close links with traditional Mafia-type criminal organisations and from the immediate availability of military weapons and common firearms. 

In addition to the personal pre-trial measures, the Judge for the Preliminary Investigations ordered the preventive seizure of 3 companies and the seizure of the equivalent amount up to the total sum of euros 131,826,000.00 resulting from the crimes, against 57 suspects, for whom the principle of presumption of innocence applies, to be carried out on the assets in their possession. A press release will follow.

Roma, 09 luglio 2024

ROME – Today morning, the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia , upon the orders of the Anti-Mafia District Directorate of Rome, carried out a pre-trial order issued by the G.I.P. of the Court in Rome against 18 persons (16 in prison and 2 under house arrest). These persons are seriously suspected, on different grounds, of criminal association with the aggravating circumstance of mafia membership (Articles 416 and 416 bis.l of the Criminal Code), aimed at committing an unspecified series of crimes of extortion (Articles 110, 629 and 416 bis l of the Criminal Code), usury (Articles 110, 644 and 416 bis l of the Criminal Code), weapons (Articles 2 and 4 of Law 895/67 and Article 23 of Law 110/75), fictitious holding of assets (Articles 110, 512bis, 416 bis 1 of the Criminal Code), money laundering (Articles 110, 512bis, 416 bis 1 of the Criminal Code), self money laundering (Articles 110, 648 bis and 416 bis l of the Criminal Code), reuse (Articles 110, 648-ter. and 4 l 6bis 1 of the Criminal Code) of illicit proceeds in economic activities. The crimes are aggravated by having facilitated the MAZZARELLA-D’AMICO camorra clans, the MANCUSO and MAZZAFERRO ‘ndrangheta gangs and the Senese clan.

More specifically, the investigation was launched in March 2018 by the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia – Field Office in Rome under the coordination of the DDA of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome. Serious hints were gathered as to the existence of two criminal associations which, through a strategy of submergence, laundered huge profits, gradually infiltrating apparently legal business activities operating in multiple fields such as film, construction, logistics, car and hydrocarbon trading. In this context, a number of ‘fictitious’ companies were set up to issue false invoices with the support of, among others, entrepreneurs and professionals.

Antonio NICOLETTI, son of Enrico Nicoletti, and LOMBARDI Pasquale, together with high-ranking persons belonging to criminal organizations in Campania, such as D’AMICO Salvatore and his son Umberto, and LUONGO Umberto, are seriously suspected of being at the head of the first association – on which the investigation focused from the outset. Serious evidence showed that a complex network of ‘paper’ companies registered in the name of ‘front men’ had been set up, with the participation of numerous persons belonging to the local Roman and Camorra-based criminal circles, through which very large sums of money from the Campania clans had been laundered. In this context, the figure of the film producer MUSCARIELLO Daniele as trustee of the same clans and of the music manager CALCULLI Angelo emerged, again in terms of serious hints.

The ongoing investigations also revealed converging interests of historical and new mafias, in particular the D’AMICO-MAZZARELLA clan, the Calabrian cosche of the MANCUSO and MAZZAFERRO and the SENESE family in the illegal hydrocarbon trade sector.

SENESE Vincenzo, son of Michele, MACORI Roberto and D’AMICO Salvatore are seriously suspected as leaders and promoters.

Regarding the seriousness of the evidence, at the same time as the economic-financial offences were committed, which were also confirmed by the tax investigation assigned to the PEF Unit of the Guardia di Finanza of Rome, the members of the two organisations also carried out a series of offences that were in some way connected to the first (extortion and usury). This was done in order to settle “give and take” operations between them or with third parties and to tie to themselves the entrepreneurs who were needed to feed the illicit business. In this context, the two associations revealed their violent nature, both because of the power of intimidation resulting from the close links with mafia-type criminal organisations and the immediate availability of military and common firearms.

The G.I.P. approved the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and ordered the preventive seizure for the purposes of confiscation pursuant to Article 321, paragraph 1, of the Criminal Procedure Code of companies operating in the film industry and the seizure of an equivalent value pursuant to Article 321, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Procedure Code and Article 648 quater of the Criminal Code up to the total amount of more than 130 million euros, to be enforced against 57 suspects.

The proceeding is still at the preliminary investigation stage, with the consequence that the principle of presumption of innocence applies to all suspects.

Rome, 9 July 2024