Licciardi clan, Abbatiello, and the extortion of protection money to online scammers. The names of the 37 suspects.

According to an investigation by the Naples Anti-Mafia Directorate (DDA) and the Carabinieri, the Licciardi clan is said to have tapped into the thriving cyber fraud market, even imposing extortion taxes on so-called "phishers," the perpetrators of online scams.

No longer just merchants, entrepreneurs, or local business managers, but also online scammers forced to pay a share of their illicit profits.

The group, a historic branch of the Secondigliano Alliance, allegedly used its network of satellite clans to control the proceeds of digital fraud and impose a veritable "mafia tax" on those operating in the cartel's areas of influence.

The operation, which culminated today, led to the execution of precautionary measures against a total of 37 suspects, 21 of whom are currently in prison.

Paolo Abbatiello's top management role

At the top of the Masseria Cardone network, investigators place Paolo Abbatiello, identified as the regent and charismatic figure of the Licciardi clan, with responsibilities for managing and organizing the entire area of ​​influence.

According to judicial reconstructions, Abbatiello is said to have decision-making powers over criminal strategies, managing relationships with satellite Camorra groups, monitoring illicit activities in the area, and managing the common fund for the maintenance of free and imprisoned members.

This top position is part of the historical structure of the Licciardi clan, a founding member of the Secondigliano Alliance, a cartel that dominates the neighborhoods north of Naples and coordinates operations with families like the Contini and Mallardo. This leadership, based on family ties and the cartel's internal mediation skills, allows the group to direct new businesses, such as extorting protection money from online scammers.

The four “mother” groups of the clan

The ordinance identifies four large territorial divisions of the Licciardi clan, all linked to the same control room: Masseria Cardone, Rione Don Guanella, Rione Berlingieri, and Vasto.

Each group oversees its own neighborhood with dedicated representatives who gather information, monitor local illicit activities (particularly drugs, extortion, gambling, and betting), and channel the proceeds to the top management for subsequent distribution.

La Cardone Farmhouse It is described as a historical stronghold, a nerve centre for drug dealing and for relations with other clans in the northern area. Don Guanella District and Berlingieri District constitute the other two pillars of the system in Secondigliano, while Vasto represents the projection of the network in the high-density commercial and logistics area near the station.

Connected satellite clans and areas of influence

Around the core of the Licciardis and their allies in the Secondigliano Alliance revolves a dense galaxy of satellite clans, operating in a regime of subordination or cooperation in various neighborhoods of Naples and its hinterland.

Among these are the Cesaranos in the Kennedy district of Secondigliano, the Sacco-Bocchettis and then the Grimaldis in San Pietro a Patierno, the Caiazzo-Alfano-Cimminos between Vomero and Arenella, the Piccirillos and the Panzuto-Frizzieros in the Chiaia-Mergellina area, the Calones in Posillipo, the Vastarellas in the Sanità district.

Other satellite or contiguous groups are indicated in the western area (Sorianello and Baratto-Esposito between Fuorigrotta, Bagnoli and Rione Traiano), in the Rione Cavalleggeri with the Giannelli group, in San Giovanni a Teduccio with the Rinaldi, in Barra with the Aprea-Cuccaro, in the Ponticelli-Volla-Cercola area with the De Luca Bossa-Minichini.

On a broader level, the anti-mafia report highlights alliances or cooperation with groups such as Amato-Pagano, Nuvoletta-Polverino, Moccia, Casalesi and with families such as the Lo Russos, the Di Lauros and the Sautto-Ciccarellis, who act as guarantors or mediators in times of tension.

The "embassy" from prison and the 50 thousand euro bribe

The core of the investigation revolves around the prison wiretaps of Alessandro Giannelli, believed to be the group's contact in the Cavalleggeri area, between Fuorigrotta and Bagnoli. In a communication dated April 26, 2022, investigators listened to him conduct an "embassy" to online scammers in his area, demanding a €50 bribe from the profits from the online scams.

The extortion pressure was apparently so strong that it drove one of the alleged fraudsters to flee to Spain to avoid the clan's demands. The episode, reconstructed in the precautionary order, is considered emblematic of the Camorra's ability to manipulate even supposedly autonomous criminal activities to its advantage, forcing them to pay a stable share of the proceeds.

TikTok "web patrolling": How the clan identifies victims

Investigators attribute Giannelli's intuition for the new business through rudimentary but effective social media web patrolling. While monitoring TikTok, he allegedly noticed a video of a young man brazenly showing himself with three thousand euros in cash, displaying the money as a trophy.

The video allegedly aroused the suspicions of the clan's contact, who linked the cash to possible online scams in the Cavalleggeri area. From there, the work of identifying the individual filmed in the video began, and once located, the extortion demand was formulated, demanding the payment of a share of the profits to the Camorra group.

The ordinance assigns the gang diverse roles and functions: from comprehensive control of illicit business activities throughout the territory to investment in economic and real estate activities, and even influencing public administration, including through corruption, to secure public contracts and services. This is complemented by the management of the "common fund" to support the families of detained members and financial support for the clan's members, a tool deemed essential for strengthening the bonds of silence and internal loyalty.

Extortion, drug trafficking, and fraud: the spectrum of illicit activities

According to the indictment, the organization did not limit itself to traditional extortion, but continued to invest in various highly profitable criminal activities. These included extortion of companies engaged in public and private contracts, usury, fraud, and, above all, trafficking of large quantities of narcotics, some of which had transnational ramifications.

The 37 suspects:
:

ABBATIELLO Paolo, born in Naples on May 8, 1966. PRISON

ATTRACTIVE Maurizio, born in Naples on 06.06.1967 PRISON

CAFARELLI Gianluca, born in Naples on 29.10.1975 PRISON

CAIAZZO Vincenzo, born in Naples on 14.9.1977 UNDER INVESTIGATION

CANNAVACCIUOLO Gennaro, born in Naples on 26.04.1982 PRISON

CARDAMONE Raffaele, born in Naples on 24.3.1970 PRISON

CARELLA Luigi, born in Naples on 30.07.1972 UNDER INVESTIGATION

CAPEZZUTO Ilaria, born in Naples on 6.12.1990 UNDER INVESTIGATION

CELENTANO Giuseppe, born in Naples on 29.11.1975 UNDER INVESTIGATION

CELLA Maurizio, born in Naples on 20.12.1975 UNDER INVESTIGATION

CIORFITO Armando, born in Naples on 11.11.1949 UNDER INVESTIGATION

DAMASCO Luigi, born in Naples on 11.06.1971 PRISON

DI MARTINO Giuseppe, born in Naples on 27.12.1981 UNDER INVESTIGATION

ESPOSITO Carmine, born in Naples on 10.04.1997 PRISON

ESPOSITO Gennaro, born in Naples on 02.02.2000 PRISON

ESPOSITO Luigi, born in Naples on 02.12.1973 PRISON

ESPOSITO Massimiliano, born in Naples on 15.7.1971 UNDER INVESTIGATION

ESPOSITO Raffaele, born in Naples on 14.08.1962 PRISON

ESPOSITO Rosa, born in Naples on 14.1.1969 UNDER INVESTIGATION

ESPOSITO Salvatore, born in Naples on 06.08.1966 UNDER INVESTIGATION

FASANO Gianfranco, born in Naples on 31.8.1975 UNDER INVESTIGATION

Martina Ferrara, born in Naples on August 23, 1999. House arrest.

FIORE Raffaele, born in Naples on November 21, 1989. UNDER INVESTIGATION

GELSOMINO Luca, born in Naples on April 25, 1993. PRISON

GIANNELLI Alessandro, born in Naples on 1.3.1978 PRISON

LUCARELLI Giuseppe, born in Naples on 16.12.1969 PRISON

MALENA Filomena, born in Cariati (CS) on 27.1.1984 UNDER INVESTIGATION

MARINO Teresa, born in Naples on 6.6.1943 HOUSE ARREST

MARZANO Francesco, born in Naples on 19.8.1963 UNDER INVESTIGATION

MONTANINO Salvatore, born in Naples on 24.9.1983 PRISON

PELLEGRINO Giuseppe, born in Naples on 24.2.1982 PRISON

RUSSO Vincenza, born in Naples on 17.6.1984 HOUSE ARREST

SAPIO Salvatore, born in Naples on 17.12.1978 PRISON

SAVARESE Salvatore, born in Naples on 12.12.1974 UNDER INVESTIGATION

SAVIO Pasquale, born in Naples on 29.5.1971 UNDER INVESTIGATION

STRAZZULLO Daniela, born in Naples on 8.4.1994 UNDER INVESTIGATION

STRAZZULLO Giovanni, born in Naples on 10.11.1987 PRISON