A young but well-established criminal network, capable of filling the gaps left by the decline of the old Vesuvian clans. This is the picture emerging from the ruling by preliminary hearing judge Rossi of the Court of Salerno, who concluded the first instance trial of the alleged members of the Camorra group calling itself "Family," active in Scafati, Boscoreale, and Castellammare di Stabia, led by Dario Federico, originally from the outskirts of Pompeii.
Four years of activity, rapid criminal expansion, and a network built on ties of blood and loyalty. Preliminary hearing judge Rossi handed down the sentences in a summary trial, imposing a total of nearly two centuries of imprisonment, compared to the 323 years requested by prosecutor Rocco Alfano for the 23 defendants.
According to investigators' reconstruction, the group allegedly exercised territorial control through extortion, drug trafficking, and weapons possession, using methods typical of mafia-style organizations. A "family-run" clan, as the prosecution describes it, not only because of the family ties between some of the defendants, but also because of the pyramid structure led by 49-year-old Dario Federico, originally from Boscoreale and previously convicted in 2007 for promoting mafia association.
Federico, after a period on the run, allegedly managed—according to the DDA—to establish himself in Scafati, taking advantage of the power vacuum left by the historic Loreto/Ridosso and Matrone/Buonocore gangs. At his side was 47-year-old Salvatore Di Paolo from Scafati, a key figure in their operations. The group also allegedly relied on weapons supplies from Domenico Tamarisco, who was implicated in the investigation but convicted only of possession of weapons.
The investigation—culminating in a raid by the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza in February 2024—reconstructed extortion incidents, including one involving a businessman operating in the Marina di Stabia area. Their control of the territory was apparently so strong that the clan was able to act as an "arbiter" in internal conflicts within other criminal groups, regulating borders and punishing trespassers.
The investigation uncovered a system based on extortion, drug dealing, the hoarding of drug sales outlets, territorial control, and the availability of firearms, some of which, according to the Prosecutor's Office, were supplied by the Torre del Greco boss Domenico "Tamarisco" Nardiello.
The DDA emphasizes how the group had come to play a "regulator" role between the various criminal cartels operating in the area, capable of settling conflicts and establishing boundaries between spheres of influence. Among the disputed incidents is an extortion attack against a businessman with ties to the Marina di Stabia tourist port.
In total, the prosecution's request was for 323 years of prison for 23 defendants. The summary trial sentence resulted in nearly two centuries of total convictions, partly because the aggravating circumstance of mafia association was not recognized for many.
Not all the defendants were found guilty of mafia-related crimes, resulting in lower sentences than those requested by the Prosecutor's Office.
List of convictions
Dario Federico – 20 years in prison
Salvatore Di Paolo – 20 years in prison
Renato Sicignano – 20 years in prison
Raffaele Forte – 20 years in prison
Immacolata Orlando – 18 years and 4 months
Corrado Grimaudo – 13 years old (continuously)
Vincenzo Orlando – 11 years old
Giuseppe Di Dato (collaborator of justice) – 8 years
Raffaele Nappo – 6 years and 8 months
Daniel Grimaudo – 5 years old
Domenico “Tamarisco” Nardiello – 2 years and 8 months (compared to an 8-year sentence requested)
Gianluca Tortora – 2 years
Other defendants – sentences just over 24 months
Changes and revisions to this article
- Article updated on 08/11/2025 at 11:33 - Typo corrected
- Article updated on 08/11/2025 at 12:13 - Typo corrected
Comments (2)
The article presents a complex and alarming crime situation in the Vesuvian area. It's important to consider how new clans manage to fill the void left by the old ones. We hope law enforcement can combat this scourge.
Great newspaper