Carmine Gallo, the former super cop involved in the Equalize dossier case, is dead

Carmine Gallo, 66, a former police officer among the most esteemed in Italy, who recently found himself caught in the middle of an investigation into the alleged cyber spy network linked to the Equalize company, passed away on Sunday morning of a sudden heart attack.

Gallo, who was originally from Gragnano, was in his home in Garbagnate Milanese with his wife, waiting to be reconvened by the magistrates for the hearing on March 19 before the Review Court, where the appeal of the Prosecutor's Office for the tightening of precautionary measures against him would be discussed. Now the magistrates have ordered an autopsy on the body of the former policeman, whose career has been marked by resounding successes but also by judicial shadows.

A career as a “super cop”

Carmine Gallo, originally from Gragnano (Naples), donned the uniform in 1978, beginning a journey that would lead him to become one of the most well-known faces in the fight against organized crime. After a period in the anti-terrorism section of the Digos in Milan, he specialized in the fight against the 'ndrangheta and kidnappings. Among his most famous successes, the resolution of the Maurizio Gucci case, with the arrest of Patrizia Reggiani, the widow who ordered the murder, and the release of Alessandra Sgarella, the businesswoman kidnapped and held prisoner for nine months in Calabria in 1998.

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Gallo was also the architect of the repentance of the boss Saverio Morabito, whose confessions led to the 1993 Nord-Sud operation, with the arrest of about 200 people. Not only that: he contributed to the capture of the killer Michele Profeta and the liberation of Cesare Casella, the 18-year-old kidnapped in Pavia and held prisoner in Aspromonte for two years.

His last assignment in the Police, before retiring in 2018, was as deputy director of the Rho-Pero police station, where in 2015 he managed the security of the heads of state during the Milan Expo.

The Shadows of the Equalize Inquiry

After retiring, Gallo entered the private sector, forming a relationship with Enrico Pazzali, president of the Fondazione Fiera Milano and founder of Equalize, a company at the center of the investigation that overwhelmed him. According to the accusations of the DDA and the DNA, Gallo was the alleged head of a network of cyber spies who, on commission, would have created illegal dossiers on prominent figures, including politicians and high-ranking officials of the State.

The hypothesis is that some members of the police force were paid to access confidential databases, which were then used to prepare reports for wealthy clients. Gallo, under house arrest for months, has always declared his innocence, calling himself a "servant of the State". However, he will no longer have the opportunity to defend himself in court.

A sudden farewell

Gallo's death comes at a delicate moment, as the investigation continued toward new judicial stages. His passing leaves a void not only in his family, but also in the world of law enforcement, where his name remains linked to memorable feats, but also to recent controversies.

Now, as prosecutors investigate the causes of death, the memory remains of a man who dedicated his life to fighting crime, only to find himself embroiled in one of the darkest investigations of recent years.