Provenzano "established a kind of directorate of about four to seven men who met very infrequently, only when necessary, when there were strategic decisions to make. [39], On 15 March 2010, his brother Salvatore Messina Denaro was arrested along with 18 others in operation "Golem 2". Palermo Chief Prosecutor Francesco Messineo added that the aim of the strategy against Messina Denaro was to "dry up the water he swims in". He is thought to be one of the new leaders of Cosa Nostra after the arrest of Bernardo Provenzano in 2006, and the arrest of Salvatore Lo Piccolo in 2007. That resulted in a series of bomb attacks in the Via dei Georgofili in Florence, in Via Palestro in Milan, in the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano and Via San Teodoro in Rome, which left 10 people dead and 93 injured as well as damage to centres of cultural heritage such as the Uffizi Gallery. In December … The court also ruled that the family members of the victims will receive payouts ranging from 10,000 to 500,000 euros. Matteo learned to use a gun at 14, and committed his first of many murders at 18. Nonetheless, Denario has continued to evade capture and has now been on the run for nearly three decades. [17], In 2000, Maria Mesi was arrested, and because police found love letters that she had exchanged with Messina Denaro, the following year she was sentenced to three years in prison for aiding and abetting together with her brother Francesco. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. “It was their way of saying, ‘We are so powerful. Matteo Messina Denaro has been on the run since June 1993. Italian state prosecutor Teresa Principato told. one anti-mafia investigator told The Guardian. They handed over a significant estate in the area Zangara (Castelvetrano) to Messina Denaro. Matteo Messina Denaro (Italian pronunciation: [matˈtɛːo mesˈsiːna deˈnaːro]; born 26 April 1962), also known as Diabolik, is a Sicilian Mafia boss. Next to Messina Denaro they were Giovanni Brusca, Domenico Raccuglia and Vito Vitale. Who is Matteo Messina Denaro and where is he today? Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights Other charges include mafia association, corruption and protection rackets. [23][24] Messina Denaro used the pseudonym "Alessio" in his clandestine correspondence with former Mafia boss Provenzano. His son Antonio D'Alì Jr. became a senator for Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party in 1996, and in April 2001 under-secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, the institution responsible for fighting organised crime. Matteo Messina Denaro, 58, has been on the run since 1993 and has yet to be found. 2020 Bustle Digital Group. His reign of terror amped up in 1993, after authorities tracked down and arrested Sicilian mafia boss Salvatore “Toto” Riina, who had spent 23 years on the lam, in Palermo, Italy. Secondo l’accusa, sostenuta in aula dal procuratore aggiunto Gabriele Paci, il boss Matteo Messina Denaro avrebbe determinato all’interno di Cosa nostra “un clima di unanimità senza il quale il capomafia corleonese Totò Riina non avrebbe potuto portare avanti i suoi piani stragisti, se non a rischio di una guerra di mafia”. [44], In December 2017, over 200 Italian police officers executed search warrants at properties owned by around 30 Italian mafioso in and near Castelvetrano; his hometown, in search for Messina Denaro.

With a scary reputation that keeps people in line — when authorities arrested Denaro’s girlfriend and sister, they both did their time and stayed mum about Diabolik — he’s said to masterfully manage a core mob business. As a result Matteo Messina Denaro has never wielded the power of predecessors such as Totó Riina or Bernardo Provenzano. "Having conquered the food distribution market, Grigoli was able to give jobs to hundreds of people close to Cosa Nostra or recommended by the Mafia," Scarpinato said. Denaro became known nationally on 12 April 2001 when the magazine L’Espresso put him on the cover with the headline: Ecco il nuovo capo della Mafia (“Here is the new head of the Mafia”, or “Here is the new Mafia boss”). [5][6] As such, he is remarkably different from traditional Mafia bosses like Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano who claim to adhere to conservative family values.[4]. Norfolk, Cornwall, Isle of Skye, Belfast, Walk and Discover tours. He eventually became a crime lord who was known for being an atypical Cosa Nostra mobster. He’s been running since the ’93 bombings and, as an Italian law enforcer said on the show, “Matteo Messina Denaro is the most wanted fugitive in the Cosa Nostra.” His specialties? He also observed the movements of Giovanni Falcone and the Minister of Justice, Claudio Martelli, in 1991. As Principato explained to Globe and Mail, "We hear he is living like a parasite off other people's money. Though there are a few people willing to testify against him, he's left almost no trail to follow. We can get anyone anywhere.’ ”. Matteo Messina Denaro sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia trial. Few would recognize Matteo Messina Denaro on the street, but the Cosa Nostra leader is one of the most sought-after fugitives on the planet. Who is now on the World's Most Wanted list? Matteo Messina Denaro is thought to have played a prominent role in the terrorist campaign that swept through Sicily in 1993. The World's Most Wanted subject is wanted for over 50 murders. … His illicit networks extend to Belgium and Germany.
He has been a fugitive on the most wanted list since 1993 and according to Forbes magazine he is among the ten most wanted criminals in the world. According to the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Denaro was born into a well-known mafia family in the Sicilian province of Trapani. "I filled a cemetery all by myself," he once bragged. [38], With the arrest of Gerlandino Messina, the alleged boss of Agrigento, on 23 October 2010 in Favara, Agrigento province, the circle around Messina Denaro tightens even more, as notes addressed specifically to Messina Denaro to discuss territorial division will provide clues to his whereabouts and recent activities. Matteo learned to use a gun at 14, and committed his first of many murders at 18. Matteo’s brother Salvatore Messina Denaro, arrested in November 1998, worked at the Banca Sicula and continued to work for Comit. The Mafia may fight among themselves in bloody turf wars, but they always band together when against the state.

MATTEO Messina Denaro once famously claimed "I filled a cemetery all by myself".
Messina Denaro gets his money through an extensive extortion racket forcing businesses to pay a pizzo (protection money) and skimming off public construction contracts (the family owns substantial sand quarries). “They think he is on a small farm, hiding and frightened. Thanks! He cannot have a good life because so many people are after him.”. Retrato robot facilitado por la Policía italiana el 4 de julio de 2011, de Matteo Messina Denaro, considerado el jefe de Cosa Nostra, y a quien la Justicia busca desde hace tres décadas. [42] On 17 April 2018, she was sentenced to 14 years in prison for mafia association, external competition, and attempted extortion. A precociously violent “baby-killer who learned to use a gun at the age of 14,” according to ­d’Haese, Denaro allegedly assumed the godfather mantle in 2007, following the arrest of previous leader Bernardo Provenzano. Soon after, his protégé Denaro allegedly played a key role in making sure there would be hell to pay for the pinch. The documentary claims that Denaro brags about having “killed enough people to fill a small cemetery.” Among his victims: the young boy of a turncoat who seemed poised to testify against the mob, and a hotel manager with an eye for a woman whom Denaro fancied. [43], In December 2014, there was a mention of police coming close to apprehending Matteo Messina Denaro after Italian police made an estimated €20 million seizure of assets from him in the form of valuable olive groves in Trapani. Regardless, prosecutors are still determined to apprehend him. Quello che si è concluso stasera è il terzo processo che si celebra a Caltanissetta per la strage di Capaci e il quinto celebrato per la strage di via D’Amelio. [41], On 13 December 2013, Messina Denaro's sister, Patrizia Messina Denaro, was arrested along with several other mafia associates in a serious blow to Messina Denaro by Italian police. For more information about how we hold your personal data, please see our privacy policy. A computer rendition (right) of what Italian mafia fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro may look like in recent years, as compared to an old photo taken of him, July 4, 2011. You can unsubscribe at any time. But according to captured witnesses — who have traded evidence in exchange for lighter sentences – Denaro's crimes are numerous. "[22], After the arrest of Bernardo Provenzano on 11 April 2006, Matteo Messina Denaro is often mentioned as his successor. Matteo Messina Denaro sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia trial, Former Rhode Island Mafia Captain DeLuca Sentenced in Federal Hill Murder, Avoids More Prison Time, Italian mob boss accidentally released after two-year search, [VIDEO] Mafia extortionist arrested after secret film emerges, Former mob boss bites off and swallows prison guard’s finger, Leonardo Badalamenti, 60, son of ex-mafia boss, Gaetano Badalamenti, arrested, Scott Deitche - Author of Cigar City Mafia and other great mob books. Your Ad Choices