Mafia boss Pesacane's funeral is held in church. Libera protests: "The institutions must intervene."

Controversy erupts in Boscoreale over the funeral of Franchino Pesacane, 71, considered by investigators to be one of the leaders of the eponymous criminal gang active in the Vesuvian area. The funeral is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. in the Parish of the Immaculate Conception.

Libera Campania has taken a stand, expressing "great dismay" at what it calls the "public funeral" of one of the leaders of a local criminal gang.

The anti-mafia association emphasizes the difference between the right of family members to mourn their loved one and the potential transformation of the funeral into a public celebration of the criminal figure.

"It's entirely legitimate to mourn one's dead," observes Libera Campania, "however, as Don Luigi Ciotti has often reminded us, it's another thing entirely to place on the altar of the saints people whose lives were stained with crime."

"Institutions should intervene with the measures provided by law"

In his speech, Libera also recalled the criminal history of the Vesuvian area, emphasizing how local criminal gangs, according to investigative and judicial reconstructions, were responsible for illegal activities, violence, and intimidation.

Hence the request to the institutions to consider adopting the "necessary measures provided for by the law of our Republic and the Church," also recalling previous interventions at the funerals of organized crime figures.

This stance thus reignites the debate on the relationship between religious celebration, the right to mourn, and the public display of criminal power.

Death after a long illness

Pesacane died on August 14th at his home in Boscoreale, where he was under house arrest. He had been ill for some time and his health had been deemed incompatible with prison detention.

The 71-year-old had been sentenced to over ten years in prison in the latest criminal case against the Pesacane gang. He is the brother of Giuseppe Pesacane, a longtime member of the clan. According to the Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office, he had assumed a leading role in the organization after his brother's arrest.

His name returned to the headlines in October 2023, when an operation by the Torre Annunziata Carabinieri led to the execution of 21 precautionary measures against members believed to belong to the Pesacane and Gallo-Limelli-Vangone groups.

Extortion, drugs, and usury: the disputed affairs

According to the prosecution, the investigation by the Torre Annunziata Public Prosecutor's Office and the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate had uncovered a series of criminal activities between Boscoreale and Boscotrecase.
Among the main areas of concern were extortion, drug trafficking, and loan sharking. According to investigators, the extortion demands also affected areas beyond the group's hometowns, reaching as far as Terzigno and Trecase.

The condemnation and decline of the clan

In the investigation documents, Franchino Pesacane was listed, along with his brother Giuseppe, as one of the group's promoters and key figures. During their closing argument, the prosecutor's office requested a 20-year prison sentence for him.

In March 2025, the summary trial sentence was handed down: 19 convictions totaling over 164 years in prison, with two acquittals. This verdict marked a further blow to the criminal organization that, according to investigators, had attempted to rebuild its influence and business operations in the Vesuvian area.

The funeral at the center of the controversy

Now, the Pesacane family's name has been brought back into the spotlight by Franchino's funeral. The religious ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow morning in Boscoreale, while the authorities and law enforcement remain vigilant.

Libera's protest once again raises a delicate question: where to draw the line between legitimate private grief over a person's death and the potential transformation of a funeral into a public display of support for or celebration of a figure linked to organized crime.