Bacoli – A story that resembles a family drama transformed into a crime story. With a ten-year prison sentence, Naples preliminary investigations judge Federica de Bellis has closed one of the most disturbing judicial chapters of recent years: the attempted murder of Guardia di Finanza Major Gabriele Agostini, who narrowly escaped death on March 21, 2023, in Bacoli, in the province of Naples, when his car was hit by a bomb.
The criminal plot
According to the reconstruction by the Naples prosecutor's office, coordinated by prosecutor Maurizio De Marco, the financier's ex-wife, Viviana Pagliarone, planned the attack, determined to resolve the custody dispute with violence. The person who actually carried out the plan, however, was Frank DiPierno, 51 years old, considered the bomb disposal expert of the group.
On November 13, 2024, Di Pierno had already been sentenced to ten years in prison by Judge Rosaria Aufieri, at the end of a fast-track trial, for having made and placed the explosive device in Agostini's car, then activating it remotely with a remote control.
The decisive evidence
The analysis of the cell phones seized during the investigation was crucial in nailing the two defendants. Investigators from the Investigative Unit of the Di Pierno Carabinieri in Naples they found photos, messages and logistical instructions sent by Pagliarone herself.
Digital traces allowed us to reconstruct the crime preparation step by step: from the bomb squad's inspections of the home and the places frequented by the finance officer, to the location of the device.
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The day of the attack
On the morning of March 21, 2023, Agostini had boarded his car in Bacoli, unaware of the trap waiting to explode beneath him. The explosion, caused by the remote trigger, was non-lethal by pure chance: the charge did not reach the calculated destructive power or, perhaps, did not strike as intended.
The Guardia di Finanza major suffered injuries and physical damage, but managed to survive what investigators did not hesitate to define as "a real attack."
The sentence and the reasons
For the investigating judge de Bellis, the evidence collected clearly outlines the participation of the two defendants in a death plan: ten years of prison for Straw, same sentence already inflicted on his accomplice Di Pierno.
A harsh verdict, taking into account the seriousness of the means used—a bomb placed on a car in the middle of a residential area—and the consequences the explosion could have had not only for the intended victim but also for passersby.
An “exemplary function” in reverse
The case, which combines family dynamics with organized crime methods, leaves open bitter reflections. A story that, given the use of a bomb and the ferocity of the planning, cannot be dismissed as a simple "private settling of scores," but takes on the character of a lesson in brutal criminality, perpetrated in a context that could have escalated into a massacre.
Comments (1)
This is a truly sad and disturbing case that highlights the family problems that can escalate into violence. I hope justice takes its course and a way is found to prevent similar incidents in the future, because this is a situation that should never happen again.