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Pino Greco
Giuseppe Greco (; 4 January 1952 – September 1985) was an Italian hitman and high-ranking member of the Sicilian Mafia. A number of sources refer to him exclusively as Pino Greco, although ''Giuseppe'' was his Christian name; ''Pino'' is a frequent abbreviation of the name Giuseppe. One of the most prolific killers in criminal history, he was affiliated with the Ciaculli mafia family. Despite his surname, he was not related to the boss of Ciaculli Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco nor to the boss of Croceverde-Giardini Michele Greco. His father was also a Mafioso nicknamed ''Scarpa'' (Italian for "shoe"), hence his nickname of Scarpuzzedda, or "little shoe". Early life He was born in 1952 in Ciaculli, an outlying town in the province of Palermo, the administrative centre of Sicily. At school, he reportedly excelled in Latin and Greek. It is not known precisely when he joined the Mafia but according to pentito Gaspare Mutolo, he started off as a driver for Kalsa boss Tommas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ciaculli
Ciaculli is an outlying village (or ''frazione'') of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. It is located in the south-eastern area of Palermo Metropolitan City. It counts less than 9,500 residents. Ciaculli is close to the suburb of Croceverde. It is one of the last countryside area still dedicated to agricultural activities in the municipality (or ''comune''). The suburb is separated from the city centre by the A19 motorway, which form its northern border. The southern border is delimited by the slopes of Mount Griffith (Italian: Monte Grifone). Organized crime Ciaculli was an important place in the history of Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia. Greco Mafia clan was originally from this place and, given its notoriety in the news, linked the village to the image of organized crime. In 1963 the suburb was marked by frequent clashes during the First Mafia War. On June 30, 1963, seven police and military officers lost their lives due to a car bomb, which according to later reconstructions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giuseppe Lucchese
Giuseppe Lucchese (; born 2 September 1958), known as ''Lucchiseddu'' and ''Occhi di ghiaccio'' (Eyes of ice), is a member of the Sicilian Mafia from the Brancaccio neighbourhood in Palermo. He was one of the favourite hitmen of the Corleonesi, headed by Totò Riina, during the Second Mafia War in 1981–84. Lucchese and Vincenzo Puccio murdered their boss Giuseppe "Pino" Greco in 1985. Puccio replaced Greco and Lucchese became his substitute. Lucchese was given a life sentence ''in absentia'' as part of the Maxi Trial in 1987. After the killing of Puccio on 11 May 1989, Lucchese became the capo mandamento of the Ciaculli-Brancaccio mafia families. Lucchese is suspected of being one of the accomplices in the murders of the mafiosi Stefano Bontade and Salvatore Inzerillo. He was arrested on 1 April 1990, and imprisoned for multiple murders. He received a life sentence for the murder of Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bulletproof Vest
A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or bullet-resistant vest, is a type of body armor designed to absorb impact and prevent the penetration of firearm projectiles and explosion fragments to the torso. The vest can be either soft—as worn by police officers, security personnel, prison guards, and occasionally private citizens to protect against stabbing attacks or light projectiles—or hard, incorporating metallic or para-aramid components. Soldiers and police tactical units typically wear hard armour, either alone or combined with soft armour, to protect against rifle ammunition or fragmentation. Additional protection includes trauma plates for blunt force and ceramic inserts for high-caliber rounds. Bulletproof vests have evolved over centuries, from early designs like those made for knights and military leaders to modern-day versions. Early ballistic protection used materials like cotton and silk, while contemporary vests employ advanced fibers and cera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salvatore Contorno
Salvatore Contorno (; born 28 May 1946), called Totuccio, is a former member of the Sicilian Mafia who turned into a state witness (''pentito'') against Cosa Nostra in October 1984, following the example of Tommaso Buscetta. He gave detailed accounts of the inner-workings of the Sicilian Mafia. His testimonies were crucial in the Maxi Trial against the Sicilian Mafia in Palermo and the Pizza Connection trial in New York City in the mid 1980s. Early Mafia career Contorno was born in Palermo. His father Antonino had been a mafioso from the later dissolved Corso Calatafimi Mafia family. Salvatore Contorno was a godson of Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco, who would go on to become the secretary of the Sicilian Mafia Commission. In 1975, the butcher ''Totuccio'' Contorno was initiated in the Santa Maria di Gesù Mafia family in Palermo, then led by Stefano Bontade, an influential member of the Sicilian Mafia Commission and a close ally of Ciaschiteddu. Contorno and Bontade used to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ninni Cassarà
Antonino "Ninni" Cassarà (; May 7, 1947 – August 6, 1985) was an Italian policeman killed by Cosa Nostra. Life Born in Palermo on May 7, 1947, he was Commissioner in Reggio Calabria and then in Trapani, where he learned about Giovanni Falcone. He was then promoted and sent to Palermo where he served as deputy chief of the Judicial police. In 1982 he worked on the streets of Palermo together with the agent Calogero Zucchetto, in the context of Cosa Nostra's inquiries. On one of these occasions Cassarà and Zucchetto recognized the two top killers Pino Greco and Mario Prestifilippo, but they could not arrest them because they fled. Among the numerous operations he took part in, many of which together with Commissioner Giuseppe Montana, there is the famous Pizza Connection operation in collaboration with U.S. police forces. Cassarà was a close associate of Giovanni Falcone and the so-called Antimafia pool of the Republic Prosecutor's Office of Palermo, and his invest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pio La Torre
Pio La Torre (; 24 December 1927 – 30 April 1982) was a leader of the Italian Communist Party (''Partito Comunista Italiano'', PCI). He was killed by the Mafia after he initiated a law that introduced a new crime in the Italian legal system, mafia conspiracy, and extended the power of the courts to seize and confiscate assets of people belonging to a Mafia-type association. Peasant leader La Torre was born in Altarello di Baida, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Palermo. He grew up with five siblings in a poor peasant family, with no water or electricity at home. His political commitment began with his enrolment in the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1945 and the establishment of a party section in his township, the first of many that he also helped to open in neighbouring townships. His political activities started as a leader of the peasant movement on Sicily, first in the Confederterra, later on as the regional secretary of the Italian General Confederation of Labo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salvatore Inzerillo
Salvatore Inzerillo (; 20 August 1944 – 11 May 1981) was an Italian member of the Sicilian Mafia, also known as Totuccio (a diminutive for Salvatore). He rose to be a powerful boss of Palermo's Passo di Rigano family. A prolific heroin trafficker, he was killed in May 1981 during the Second Mafia War by a firing squad of the Corleonesi family led by Totò Riina, who opposed the established Palermo Mafia families of which Inzerillo was one of the main proponents. Early life Inzerillo was born in Palermo. He married his cousin, Giuseppa Di Maggio, the daughter of his mother's brother, Rosario Di Maggiothe boss of the Passo di Rigano Mafia family.Arlacchi, ''Mafia Business'', pp. 199-200 Through a string of marriages, the Inzerillos were related to the Di Maggio and Spatola families in Palermo and the Gambinos in New York.Sterling, ''Octopus'', pp. 199-200. He had two sons, Giuseppe and Giovanni. Inzerillo was a close ally of Stefano Bontade and Gaetano Badalamenti and a re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stefano Bontade
Stefano Bontade (23 April 1939 – 23 April 1981), born Stefano Bontate, was a powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the boss of the Santa Maria di Gesù Family in Palermo. He was also known as the ''Principe di Villagrazia'' (Prince of Villagrazia) − the area of Palermo he controlled − and ''Il Falco'' (the Falcon).Stille, ''Excellent Cadavers''pp. 52-54/ref> Stefano Bontade and his brother Giovanni Bontade, who would become a lawyer, studied at a Jesuit college. In 1964, at the age of 25, Stefano Bontade became the boss of the Santa Maria di Gesù Mafia Family when his father, ''Don Paolino'' Bontade, stepped down because of ill-health (he suffered from diabetes).Paoli, ''Mafia Brotherhoods''p. 43/ref> The Mafia went through difficult times at that moment. A bloody internal struggle (known as the First Mafia War) culminated in the Ciaculli Massacre in June 1963 that killed seven police and military officers sent to defuse a bomb in an abandoned Alfa Romeo Giulietta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, it is the originating firearm of the Kalashnikov rifle, Kalashnikov (or "AK") family of rifles. After more than seven decades since its creation, the AK-47 model and its variants remain one of the most popular and widely used firearms in the world. Design work on the AK-47 began in 1945. It was presented for official military trials in 1947, and, in 1948, the fixed-Stock (gun), stock version was introduced into active service for selected units of the Soviet Army. In early 1949, the AK was officially accepted by the Soviet Armed Forces and used by the majority of the member states of the Warsaw Pact. The model and its variants owe their global popularity to their reliability under harsh conditions, low production cost (compared t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Mafia War
The Second Mafia War was a period of conflict involving the Sicilian Mafia, mostly taking place from 1981 to 1993. It involved thousands of homicides, the deadliest of which incident left 40 dead in 1987. Sometimes referred to as The Great Mafia War or the ''Mattanza'' (Italian for 'Slaughter'), it involved the entire Mafia and radically altered the power balance within the organization. In addition to the violence within the Mafia itself, there was violence against the state, including a campaign of deliberate assassinations of judges, prosecutors, detectives, politicians, activists and other ideological enemies. In turn, the war resulted in a major crackdown against the Mafia, helped by the '' pentiti'', Mafiosi who collaborated with the authorities after losing so many friends and relatives to the fighting. In effect, the conflict helped end the secrecy of the Mafia. Preceding events The instigators of the Second Mafia War were the Corleonesi, the Mafia Family from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernardo Provenzano
Bernardo Provenzano (; 31 January 1933 – 13 July 2016) was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia clan known as the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone, and ''de facto'' the boss of bosses ("''il capo dei capi''"). His nickname was ''Binnu u tratturi'' ( Sicilian for "Bernie the tractor") because, in the words of one informant, "he mows people down".Profile: Bernardo Provenzano , BBC News, 11 April 2006. Another nickname was ''il ragioniere'' ("the accountant"), due to his apparently subtle and low-key approach to running his crime empire, at least in contrast to some of his more violent predecessors. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salvatore Riina
Salvatore Riina (; 16 November 1930 – 17 November 2017), called Totò (Sicilian_language, sicilian diminutive of Salvatore), was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia, known for a ruthless murder campaign that reached a peak in the early 1990s with the assassinations of Antimafia Commission prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, resulting in widespread public outcry, legal change and a major crackdown by the authorities. He was also known by the nicknames ''la belva'' ("the beast") and ''il capo dei capi'' (Sicilian: '''u capu di 'i capi'', "the boss of bosses"). Riina succeeded Luciano Leggio as head of the Corleonesi criminal organisation in the mid-1970s and achieved dominance through a campaign of violence, which caused police to target his rivals. Riina had been a fugitive since the late 1960s after he was indicted on a murder charge. He was less vulnerable to law enforcement's reaction to his methods, as the policing removed many of the establishe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
