Two Montoro tanning entrepreneurs were on the brink of disaster, and not just financially. Their request for help with loans, amounting to approximately €100, from criminals in the Irno Valley, close to the Genovese clan, turned into a full-blown extortion racket.
The increasingly pressing threats, aimed at securing payment of usurious rates, have driven victims, fearing for their safety, to desperately seek "protection" from a second group: the D'Alessandro clan of Castellammare di Stabia. It's no coincidence that among those arrested are relatives of the late boss Antonio De Luca, known as "Vaccarella," who died in 2020 in hospital in Ariano Irpino after serving 27 years in prison.
"Vaccarelli," as an FBI agent called him during a deposition in the 1994 maxi-trial of the D'Alessandro clan, was considered the right-hand man of the godfather Michele D'Alessandro and controlled all the illicit dealings of the Centro Antico di Castellammare.
Relatives of the deceased Castellammare boss, Antonio De Luca, known as "Vaccarella," were also arrested.
In a game of criminal balance and lavish profits, the table seemed so well laid that it even attracted the attention of a third organization. Members of the Nuovo Clan Partenio of Avellino demanded a seat at the table, demanding their share of the debt. Trapped in this criminal triangle, with their lives in danger and their resources depleted, the two entrepreneurs found their only escape: reporting the matter to the police.
The investigation, launched in July 2025, was accelerated both by the risk of the suspects fleeing and by the need to protect the victims' physical safety. The result was a swift operation that culminated at dawn yesterday. The Operations Section of the Anti-Mafia Investigative Directorate (DIA) of Salerno executed an arrest warrant issued by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate (DDA) of the Salerno Public Prosecutor's Office against sixteen people.
The suspects, to varying degrees, are held responsible for the crimes of usury and extortion, both aggravated by mafia methods. The investigation uncovered a "complex criminal network" composed of individuals associated with three distinct Camorra gangs, active in the provinces of Salerno, Castellammare, and Avellino.
Reconstruction: From the "Broker" to the Transfer of Credit
The spiral began in 2024, as reconstructed by magistrates Carlo Rinaldi, Elena Guarino, and Francesco Soviero of the Anti-Mafia Directorate. The first extortion "broker," identified as Gaetano Schettini of Fisciano (close to the Genovese clan), granted two loans totaling €95, charging interest rates ranging from 10% to 12%. The first threats, including a public physical assault, prompted the debtors to seek out a second contact.
The "guarantor" of the Castellammare front (the D'Alessandro clan) became Antonio Donniacuo, who not only organized a punitive expedition against the Salerno extortionists, but also took charge of debt collection, making the loan even more expensive. The victims paid, in monthly installments, approximately €60 to their new "protectors."
At this point, the New Partenio Clan entered the picture. The Irpinia-area business, conducted by external clans, raised eyebrows among local criminals. The "third credit transfer" was orchestrated by Diego Bocciero, who informed one of the entrepreneurs that all future payments were to be made to the "Avellinesi."
This message was later reiterated by Massimo Evangelista and Rocco Ravallese, who took turns collecting the debt. The installments imposed during this phase reached approximately €22 by August. Hard pressed and unable to pay further, the entrepreneurial duo found the courage to file a complaint, breaking the deadlock.
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BOCCIERO Diego, born in Avellino on 18.7.1988, resident in Mercogliano (AV);
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DE CESARE Domenico, born in Salerno on 10.05.1976, resident in Baronissi (SA) - currently subjected, for another reason, to the precautionary measure of house arrest in Pignola (PZ);
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DE CESARE Vincenzo, born in Salerno on the 25th.
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DE CESARE Francesca, born in Salerno on 3.10.2001, resident in Agropoli (SA);
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DE LUCA Alessandro, born in Castellammare di Stabia (NA) on 28.5.1979, resident there;
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DE LUCA Francesco, born in Castellammare di Stabia (NA) on 15.06.1975, resident there;
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DONNIACUO Antonio, known as "o' zepp", born in Avellino on 25.4.1978, resident in Montoro (AV);
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EVANGELISTA Massimo, born in Avellino on 28.06.1976, resident there;
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GENOVESE Francesco, known as "uncle Franco", born in Salerno on 27.6.1965, resident in Baronissi (SA);
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GUARNACCIA Roberto, known as "Robertone", born in Nocera Inferiore (SA) on 1.11.1987, resident in Mercato San Severino (SA);
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PESCATORE Luigi, born in Avellino on 02.07.1994, resident in Ospedaletto D'Alpinolo (AV);
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RAVALLESE Rocco, born in Solofra (AV) on 13.8.1966, resident there;
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SCHETTINI Gaetano, born in Salerno on 18.5.1981, resident in Fisciano (SA);
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SIANO Thomas, born in Avellino on 04.07.1981, resident in Solofra (AV);
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VIETRI Roberto, born in Salerno on 21.07.1979, resident in Montoro (AV);
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VITAGLIONE Giuseppe, known as "Peppe e Castellammare" or "Peppone", born in Castellammare di Stabia (NA) on 24.2.1985, resident in Santa Maria La Carità (NA).
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