Naples – Twenty-five convictions, only two acquittals, and a total of over a century and a half of incarceration. The first-degree trial, conducted using the abbreviated procedure, against the fringes of the Licciardi clan rooted in the Don Guanella neighborhood ended with a heavy blow. Preliminary Investigating Judge Cesare, while reserving some dramatic twists in the ruling read late this afternoon, essentially reinforced the prosecution's case by Public Prosecutor Loreto of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate.
For the criminal organization in the northern Naples area, this is a severe judicial blow that confirms, once again, the Masseria Cardone gang's suffocating control of the territory.
From the April raid to the verdict
The ruling marks the first full stop in the legal process stemming from the massive joint raid launched in April last year. On that occasion, the Naples Flying Squad executed a pre-trial detention order that landed eight people behind bars, decapitating the military and commercial wing of the group led by Antonio Bruno.
That investigation, supported by wiretaps, telephone conversations, and subsequent statements from collaborators of justice, shed light on the mafia dynamics between Secondigliano and the Phlegraean Fields. Among the key issues of that investigation was the reconstruction of the brutal murder of Domenico Gargiulo, known as "Sicc e penniell" (The Little One); a high-profile crime, the alleged instigators and perpetrators of which are currently being tried before the judges of the Naples Assize Court.
The profile of the boss "Michelò"
The central figure in the entire investigation, and the main recipient of the highest sentence (20 years in prison), is Antonio Bruno, known in criminal circles as "Michelò." Brother-in-law of boss Pietro Licciardi, Bruno was the gang's man of the trade.
Until the day of his arrest, he moved freely throughout the area, managing not only the criminal strategies and the delicate alliances with other clans in the city, but also directly managing the group's coffers. According to the magistrates, he was responsible for ensuring the salaries of free members and the support of the families of prisoners. This monopolistic control extended from the Don Guanella neighborhood, the Masseria Cardone, the Berlingieri neighborhood, and the Vasto area.
The total number of sentences handed down by the investigating judge amounts to exactly 171 years and 5 months of imprisonment.
List of convictions
Antonio Bruno (“Michelò”): 20 years (continued with another sentence)
Renato Esposito: 13 years and 8 months
Raffaele Fiore: 11 years and 4 months
Massimo Russo: 11 years and 2 months
Francesco Mingacci: 10 years and 4 months (house arrest granted)
Vincenzo Faiello: 10 years
Vincenzo Caiazzo: 9 years and 4 months
Gennaro Russo: 8 years and 10 months
Gianfranco Fasano: 8 years and 8 months
Vincenzo Pernice: 8 years and 2 months
Luca De Gennaro: 8 years old
Gennaro Sautto: 7 years
Vincenzo Bragone: 4 years and 5 months
Vincenzo Iuorio (repentant): 3 years and 10 months
Antonio Russo: 3 years and 8 months
Antonio Boccia: 3 years and 6 months
Marianna Cibelli: 3 years and 4 months
Ciro Annunziata: 3 years and 2 months
Carmine Annunziata: 3 years
Luca Gelsomino: 3 years
Vincenzo Grimaldi: 3 years
Filomena Lo Russo: 2 years and 8 months
Massimiliano Luongo: 2 years and 2 months
Maria Caiazzo: 1 year and 9 months
Annamaria Grieco: 1 year and 4 months (suspended sentence)
Acquitted:
Ciro Cristilli: Acquitted
Mariano Menna: Acquitted
Reading the article, it seems like something important has been done, but some details are missing. The report doesn't explain the steps well, and the names remain confused, with some dates overlapping. It seems to me that the trial has provided answers, but many questions remain: who will pay the damages, and what will the trial be like? I was hoping for more explanations.