Calogero Conti (1924 – 4 September 2020), commonly referred to as "''Zu Liddu''," was a prominent Sicilian mafioso, historically identified as the ''capo'' of the

Ramacca Mafia family The Ramacca Mafia family is a crime family of the Cosa Nostra, operating primarily in the town of Ramacca, Sicily. With roots tracing back to the 1950s under the leadership of Calogero Conti, the family established itself through activities such ...

Criminal career

Calogero Conti, born in 1924, was described by multiple state witnesses, including the well-known pentiti

Antonino Calderone Antonino Calderone (24 October 193510 January 2013) was a Sicilian Mafioso who turned state witness (''pentito'') in 1987 after his arrest in 1986. Antonino was born in Catania, the brother of Giuseppe Calderone, the boss of the local Mafia. ...

and Francesco Di Carlo, as the head of the mafia family in Ramacca and the deputy representative of Cosa Nostra for the province of Catania. Calderone, in testimony given in April 1987 before Judge

Giovanni Falcone Giovanni Falcone (; 18 May 1939 – 23 May 1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian ...

and Vice-Commissioner Antonio Manganelli in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, emphasized Conti’s strong ties to the

Corleonesi The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella. Corleonesi affiliates wer ...

, particularly to

Luciano Leggio Luciano Leggio (; 6 January 1925 – 15 November 1993) was an Italian criminal and leading figure of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the head of the Corleonesi, the Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone. He is universally known by ...

, Salvatore Toto Riina, and

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 ...

. These revelations contributed to the Criminalpool anti-mafia operation a year later, which led to 160 arrest warrants across

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

and the exposure of mafia networks involving businessmen, politicians, and ''mafiosi''. Calogero Conti and his son Francesco were among those arrested in Ramacca during this operation. Among the various anecdotes about his influence, one involved him acting as "padrino" for Francesco "Ciccio" La Rocca, who later became the boss of the

Caltagirone mafia family The Caltagirone Mafia family, also known as the La Rocca Mafia clan, is a crime family of the Cosa Nostra based in the town of Caltagirone, Sicily. Founded in the early 1980s by Francesco "Ciccio" La Rocca, the Mafia clan rose to prominence thro ...

. Additionally, Conti was said to have helped Luciano Leggio during a period of hiding in the Ramacca countryside and allegedly facilitated the purchase of land in Vaccarizzo where a villa was built, purportedly adapted to hold kidnap victims. Although Conti was no longer active in mafia-related judicial cases in his later years, he continued to be mentioned by informants in connection to historical events and individuals in organized crime. In one intercepted conversation referenced during the Iblis trial, a case involving suspected ties between the mafia, politics, and business in the Catania area, Conti was mentioned as the father of Francesco Conti and grandfather to Sara Conti, whose involvement in a local social assistance project raised questions from prosecutors due to alleged connections with mafia-affiliated individuals. Calogero Conti died of natural causes in his home in Ramacca on September 4, 2020, at the age of 95. For reasons of public order and security, the Chief of Police in Catania prohibited public funeral rites. The funeral was held privately at dawn in the cemetery chapel of Ramacca, without a procession or public ceremony, and was monitored by the Carabinieri to ensure compliance with the imposed restrictions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Calogero 1924 births 2020 deaths Sicilian mafiosi