The trial of the Vesuvian Camorra linked to the Mazzarellas: 21 defendants

The trial, with abbreviated procedure, began today and was immediately adjourned until December 17 before the preliminary investigations judge Francesca Bardi of the Court of Naples against the two clans from the Vesuvian area, offshoots of the Mazzarella clan, who managed the illicit business between Somma Vesuviana and Sant'Anastasia.

On that date, any statements from the defendants will be heard, and then the case will move to January 21, 2026, for the preliminary investigations judge's closing argument and possible request for convictions.

Somma Vesuviana and Sant'Anastasia, two neighboring municipalities, are two sides of the same criminal coin. The investigation—the result of years of work by the Naples Anti-Mafia Directorate, the Carabinieri, and the Guardia di Finanza—uncovers a still troubling picture.

Somma Vesuviana: The De Bernardo Group and its Connection to the Mazzarellas

A criminal network that stretched from Somma Vesuviana to the heart of Naples. At the head of the group, according to investigators, was Giovanni De Bernardo, a historic figure in the local underworld, considered a key figure for the Mazzarella clan.

The charge is serious: mafia-style conspiracy, aggravated by Camorra methods and objectives. The group is alleged to have imposed effective control over the Somma Vesuviana area, managing extortion of merchants, the collection of "pizzo" (protection money), and the division of proceeds from illicit activities.

According to the investigation documents, the members operated with discipline and hierarchy: a recognized leader, internal rules, and the use of force and threats to maintain control. In some wiretaps, relationships with members of the Mazzarella clan emerge clearly: arms supplies, mutual support during the most delicate phases, and interventions to "resolve" internal or external conflicts.

The charges go beyond mere membership: several defendants are accused of specific incidents of aggravated extortion, illegal possession and carrying of firearms, threats, and aiding and abetting. In several cases, the intimidation was accompanied by gunshots fired as a demonstration, to reaffirm the group's power in the area.

 Sant'Anastasia: The Anastasio Clan and Control of the Territory

In parallel with the Somma organization, investigators have reconstructed the activities of another Camorra structure rooted in Sant'Anastasia, linked to the Anastasio clan.
According to the prosecution's reconstruction, the group—led by Salvatore Anastasio and Giovanni Anastasio—had exercised economic and criminal control of the area for years, in close contact with the families of East Naples and the Golden Mile.

Here too, the script is similar: systematic extortion of local merchants and entrepreneurs, violence and threats to impose their supremacy, and an internal protection system capable of discouraging anyone who attempted to report.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, the clan was structured with specific roles: some managed the collections, some dealt with the weapons, and some maintained contact with other criminal groups in the hinterland.
The investigations documented incidents of attempted extortion, damage caused by gunfire, and intimidation against merchants who dared to evade payment of the protection money.

The prosecution speaks of a "stable and deep-rooted" mafia-style organization, capable of influencing the country's economic and social life, even through fear and silence.

The trial will now determine individual responsibilities, but the sheer volume of charges paints a clear picture: that of an area still marked by the power of families and the struggle of those who, every day, try to resist the clan's logic.

List of defendants

• ANASTASIUS Raphael, born in Naples on 27.02.1982, remained in Pollena Trocchia (NA), detained at the Naples – Secondigliano prison.
• ANNUNCIATION Fabio, born in Naples on 29.09.1985, remains in Naples, detained by the CC of Benevento.
• BAY Antonio, born in Ottaviano (NA) on 03.08.2004, remains in Somma Vesuviana (NA).
• BOVA Pink, born in Catanzaro on 20.10.1985, remains in Somma Vesuviana (NA).
• GOOD CORE Ferdinand, born in Naples on 26.03.1977, remained in Somma Vesuviana (NA), detained at the Naples – Secondigliano prison.
• CILIBERTI Luigi, n. in Naples on 20.03.1971, residing in Sant'Anastasia (NA).
• CIVITA Fabio, born in San Giuseppe Vesuviano (NA) on 26.06.1980, remained in Somma Vesuviana (Na), detained by the CC of Benevento.
• CORREALE Clemente, born in Naples on 05.11.1999, remains in Naples, detained at the Naples – Secondigliano prison.
• CUOZZO Enzo, born in Abbiategrasso (MI) on 31.07.1968, remains in Naples, detained by the Naples Carabinieri – Poggioreale.
• DE BERNARDO Roberto, born in Ottaviano (NA) on 26.01.2005, remains in Melito di Napoli (NA), detained by the CC of Benevento.
• DE BERNARDO Rosary, born in Naples on 31.10.1970, remained in Somma Vesuviana (NA), detained by the CC of Benevento.
• DICAPRIO Salvatore, born in Naples on 20.11.1983, remains in Naples, detained at the Naples – Secondigliano prison.
• BY CICCO Clemente, n. in Acerra (NA) on 10.02.1983, resident in Sant'Anastasia (NA), prisoner CC of Benevento.
• ESPOSITO Salvatore, born in Somma Vesuviana (NA) on 04.09.1976, remained in Pollena Trocchia (NA), detained by the Naples Carabinieri – Secondigliano.
• LANZONE Alessandro, born in Cercola (NA) on 14.08.1986, remained in Sant'Anastasia (NA), detained by the Naples – Poggioreale CC.
• LANZONE Salvatore, born in Naples on 26.05.2003, remained in Somma Vesuviana (NA), detained at the Naples – Secondigliano prison.
• MARTINIELLO Carmine, born in Switzerland on 05.10.1962, remains in Scisciano (NA), detained at the Naples – Secondigliano prison.
• Michael MAZZARELLA, born in Naples on 14.07.1978, remains in Naples, prisoner IP of Spoleto.
• MENNA Antonio, born in Naples on 30.03.1982, remains in Acerra (NA), detained by the CC of Benevento.
• MIRANDA Carmela, n. in Naples on 24.05.1974, residing in Acerra (NA), detained in the CC of Lecce.
• SCURTI Francesco, born in Naples on 06.03.2003, remains in Naples, detained at the Naples Poggioreale CC.
• The defense team includes lawyers Leopoldo Perone, Sergio Lino Morra, Immacolata Romano, Mario Terracciano, Giuseppe Milazzo, Rosario Arienzo, and Luigi Poziello.
• (In the photo, from left: Michele Mazzarella, the phenomenon, Raffaele Anastasio, Rosario De Bernardo, Salvatore Di Caprio, Rosa Bova, Clemente Di Cicco, Salvatore Esposito, and Fabio Civita)