Palermo – The investigating judge of Palermo has ordered the arrest of Floriana Calcagno, 40, a teacher, believed to be the lover and accomplice of the boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who died in prison in September 2023 after thirty years on the run.
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The woman, accused of having been part of the protection system that allowed the mafia boss to escape justice for decades, ended up in handcuffs at the request of the Palermo DDA, led by the prosecutor Maurizio De Lucia and the deputy Paolo Guido, with the substitutes Pierangelo Padova, Gianluca De Leo and Bruno Brucoli
The safety net between Mazara and Campobello
According to the investigations, Calcagno would have operated in the boss's closest circle, guaranteeing him logistical support and security between Mazara del Vallo and Campobello di Mazara, where Messina Denaro lived in his last refuge before his capture (16 January 2023).
The teacher would have organized private transfers, acting as driver and trailblazer with his own car, ensuring the fugitive's movements were safe from checks.
“Acchina”: the boss's postwoman
In the intercepted conversations, Laura Bonafede (the boss's long-time partner) referred to Calcagno with the nickname "Acchina". Investigations reveal that the woman not only provided documents to the boss, but hosted him in her summer residence in Tre Fontane.
Furthermore, it served as a “mailroom”: in a key episode, she is filmed entering the CB31 hideout with an envelope and coming out “partially emptied” – a detail noted by Messina Denaro himself on a calendar.
False statements after arrest
Five days after the boss was captured, Calcagno summoned herself to the Prosecutor's Office, claiming to have known him as "Francesco Salsi" and not to know his true identity. A version denied by the evidence: the investigations show that she frequented the hideout, organized safe entrances and exits and knowingly lied to cover for the fugitive.
Now the former teacher is in prison, while the magistrates continue to reconstruct all the pieces of the protection that has kept alive for years the fugitive status of Italy's most wanted man.
Article published on 14 April 2025 - 14:50
It is interesting to see how this woman has managed to remain in the shadows for so long, yet the investigations have brought to light details that suggest that there are many other people involved in this system of protection.