A drug and cell phone ring to manage the clans directly from the Secondigliano prison.
A year after the raid that led to 21 arrests, the Court of Naples issued the first-instance sentence with 29 convictions for a total of almost 240 years of imprisonment.
The judge accepted most of the requests of the Prosecutor's Office, but there were some unexpected twists: Mary Matilda Nappi, considered the boss of Bagnoli, and her son Cristian Esposito were acquitted of the charge of drug trafficking association and received reduced sentences compared to the requests of the DDA.
At the center of the investigation, as Il Roma anticipates, is the sophisticated supply system that involved the use of drones to introduce drugs and telephones into the penitentiary. The service, managed by Vincenzo Scognamiglio and Antonio Castiello, had specific rates: 1.000 euros for a smartphone, 250 euros for a cell phone with only voice calls and 7.000 euros for half a kilo of drugs.
The sentences in detail:
- Vincenzo Scognamiglio – 20 years
- John Baratto – 18 years and 1 month
- Nicholas Brunetti – 18 years and 2 months
- Salvatore Celentano – 18 years and 4 months
- Lucio Musella – 18 years and 3 months
- Matthew Balzano – 10 years continuously
- Roberta Cascone – 10 years and 2 months
- Antonio Gianpaolo Talletti – 10 years and 8 months
- Joanna Viciglione – 10 years and 8 months
- Cyrus Contini – 9 years and 9 months continuously
- Nico Grimaldi – 9 years and 2 months
- Rita Pitirollo – 9 years and 2 months
- Mary Vital – 9 years and 2 months in continuation with another sentence
- George Ciriello – 11 years and 1 month continuously
- Christian Esposito – 5 years and 10 months
- Mary Matilda Nappi – 5 years and 10 months
- Holy Weaver – 5 years continuously
- Gennaro Pasquale Barone – 4 years and 10 months
- Anthony Castiello – 4 years and 5 months
- Alexander Iuliano – 4 years continuously
- Vincenzo Grimaldi – 3 years
- Joseph Francavilla – 3 years and 1 month
- Salvatore basile – 2 years and 8 months
- Manuel Julian – 2 years and 8 months
- Eduardo Franco Romano – 2 years and 8 months
- Nicholas Sautto – 2 years and 8 months
- Dominic Scotto – 2 years and 8 months
- Orestes Manzi – 2 years and 2 months continuously
- Vincenza DeRosa – 2 years (suspended sentence)
The investigation, which involved several leading figures of the Camorra, revealed a tried and tested system that guaranteed a constant flow of communication and narcotics to inmates. Investigations are ongoing to identify any other perpetrators.
Article published on March 19, 2025 - 09pm
And an article that highlights how mafias use modern technologies to continue their illicit activities. But I wonder if the sentence was fair, especially for those who were acquitted.