Antonio Zagaria, the brother of imprisoned boss Michele Zagaria from the Casalesi clan of the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia, was among those arrested yesterday by Italian police for their alleged roles in extorting a farmer as reported by ANSA.
After sixteen years on the lam Michele Zagara was arrested last year in an underground bunker where he was hiding.
The United States finally has recognized the threat from the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia as part of its broader fight against transnational organized crime, and yesterday the Treasury Department designated five of its top leaders to a black list which "freezes any assets they may have within the jurisdiction of the United States and prohibits any transactions with them by U.S. persons" according to a press release for the agency: "this action is designed to squeeze the Camorra out of the global financial system and protect the U.S. financial system from laundering of its criminal proceeds."
The five mobsters identified by the revenuers are the following:
Mario Caterino is a Camorra clan leader, identified at the time of his arrest in May 2011 as the second in command of the Casalesi clan. He is serving a life sentence in Italy for conspiracy and murder.
Giuseppe Dell’Aquila is described as the head of the Mallardo clan. He is believed to have played a key role in investing in and managing Camorra holding companies. Arrested in Italy in May 2011, he is serving a sentence for conspiracy, money laundering, robbery, and the receipt of stolen goods.
Paolo di Mauro was the third most wanted fugitive in Italy at the time of his arrest in Spain in January 2010. He is a leader of the Contini clan and is currently serving a 17-year sentence for conspiracy and murder.
Antonio Iovine is a leader of the Camorra’s Casalesi clan. He was arrested in November 2010 and is serving a life sentence for conspiracy and murder.
Michele Zagaria is a leader of the Casalesi clan and was captured by Italian authorities in December 2011 after 15 years as a fugitive. He is serving a life sentence for conspiracy, murder, extortion, and robbery.
Now if only the Treasury Department similarly would create a domestic blacklist to squeeze American Mafia families out of the legitimate economy.
The capture last month of Michele Zagaria, the head of the notorious Casalesi clan from the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia, has left a power vacuum in the Naples underworld, and rival mobsters are whacking each other off in a sinister ritual which will last until the last one remains standing to take the devil's crown as reported by ANSA.
Last week Michele Zagaria, the head of the notorious Casalesi clan from the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia, was apprehended by police earlier this month after sixteen years on the lam, and although he wasn't its first boss he may be its last according to former Naples magistrate Raffaele Cantone as reported by Nick Squires for The Telegraph: "With Zagaria's arrest, the Casalesi clan as we've known it ceases to exist. It's the end of an epoch."
Last week Michele Zagaria, the head of the notorious Casalesi clan from the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia, was apprehended by police after sixteen years on the lam, and a clue to his presence in a sophisticated bunker under the home of an alleged associate was a pair of discarded socks according to Pietro Morelli from the Naples Flying Squad which nailed the mobster as reported by Colin Freeman for The Telegraph:
"But when we finally did surveillance on the house where we thought he was, we checked the rubbish bins and found a very expensive pair of Gallo socks that had been thrown out. I wear Gallo socks myself, but we knew the owner of the house didn't dress that smartly, so there had to be someone else living there. Someone with plenty money."
Zagaria is widely credited with diversifying the Camorra from its gang-style street rackets "into a much wider business conglomerate": "in particular, he focused on the construction business, in which he was known as 'the king of tendering'; firms linked to the Casalesi clan, it is said, built half the shopping malls in the Naples region, as well as the high-speed train link from Rome to southern Italy, and even a new prison and Nato radar base."
The contents of Zagaria's library included a copy of the international bestseller Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano which exposed the Camorra to the world.
