Naples - A heavy sentence, but far from the 12 years requested by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate. Clemente Massaro, known as 'o pecuraro and believed to be the leader of the eponymous clan active in the eastern Caserta area, was sentenced yesterday by Naples Court Preliminary Investigating Judge Anna Tirone to five years and six months in prison. The charge, which was heard under a fast-track trial, is aggravated extortion.
The boss had been targeting a €4 million public contract for the construction of a school campus in Santa Maria a Vico. According to investigators, Massaro and his partner, 64-year-old Antonietta Sgambato, nicknamed "a sparara," showed up at the construction site several times, demanding a bribe of 2-3% of the total cost of the work.
After collecting their first installment in February 2025, the couple returned before Easter with a new request, but this time their actions were captured on surveillance cameras. The videos clearly showed Massaro and Sgambato taking the money from the victims and then hiding it.
Despite the video evidence, the judge only partially upheld the prosecution's case. While Massaro, a former justice collaborator defended by attorneys Orlando Sgambati and Valerio Stravino, was convicted, his partner Sgambato, defended by attorneys Alberto Martucci and Orlando Sgambati, was acquitted of all charges and ordered to be released immediately. The Anti-Mafia Directorate had instead requested a 10-year sentence for her.
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Comments (1)
The sentence seems a bit strange, given that there was clear video evidence, yet the partner was acquitted. I don't understand how the judge could have ruled this way. Perhaps there are unknown factors at play.