The Court of Cassation (presided by Vincenzo Rotundo) has put an end to the female section of the Torre Annunziata Gionta clan, led by Teresa Gionta, daughter of her godfather Valentino, who has been in prison for approximately 30 years. Teresa Gionta was sentenced to eight years, accused of leading the clan after the arrest of her brothers Pasquale and Aldo. The investigation revealed the organization of a new extortion collection system, with mini-instalments for the collection of protection money. Teresa Gionta and her husband allegedly organized the "Gionta Code": a system of numbers printed on inmates' clothing to send cryptic messages and orders from the bosses to their associates. Numbers and letters were transcribed onto pieces of cloth sewn into the clothing. Labels concealed actual messages, as clarified by the investigations triggered by a prison police check on Teresa Gionta's husband. An ingenious system reconstructed, step by step, by the meticulous investigations of the Anti-Mafia. The other final sentences also concern other prominent figures in the clan, such as Felice Savino, known as "Peracotta," (also eight years), who returned to prison in recent weeks after a period of house arrest. His son, Pasquale Savino, was sentenced to seven and a half years. Finally, six years each were handed down to Francesca Donnarumma and Anna Paduano, mother and sister, respectively, of Sasà Paduano, the child boss son of Ciro, a lifer, and niece of Valentino Gionta, who for several years, despite his young age, had led the clan's fortunes. Benito Cioffi's four-year prison sentence was also confirmed, although the aggravating circumstance of mafia-related crimes was dropped in the first instance.
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