Giuseppe Cataldo (Locri, September 19, 1938 − Locri, May 10, 2011), also known as ''Peppe'', was an Italian

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

and a member of the

'Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a mafia-type organized crime, criminal syndicate originating from the Calabria region of Italy. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', pp. 65–68 This body, also referred to as the Commission in reference to the ...

, a

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

-type organisation in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

. He belonged to the

Cataldo 'ndrina The Cataldo 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. This particular 'ndrina is based in Locri, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity. The clan, allied with the Marafioti family, is involved in a ...

based in

Locri Locri is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of the ancient Greek region of Locris. Today it is an important administrative and cultural center on the Ion ...

'Ndrangheta heritage

The Cataldo clan, allied with the Marafioti family, is involved in a long blood feud with the

Cordì 'ndrina The Cordì 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Locri, a hotbed of 'Ndrangheta activity. Feud with Cataldo clan The historical boss of the clan, Domenico Cordì, ...

, both based in

in the

province of Reggio Calabria The province of Reggio Calabria () was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the southernmost province in mainland Italy and is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. The capital was the city of Reggio. It w ...

, in southern Italy, since the end of the 1960s. A series of hostilities continued until 1975 when the adversaries, weakened by losses on both sides, agreed to call a

truce A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue'', pp. 130-31 Giuseppe Cataldo rose to become the boss of the clan, not only because of his personal qualities, but also because of the eclipse of the former chief Bruno Marafioti after the killing of his brother and his son in 1969 by the Cordì clan. Marafioti became some kind of honorary president of the clan.Arlacchi, ''Mafia Business'', p. 135

Prominent 'Ndrangheta boss

In the 1970s, the Cataldos allied themselves with the

De Stefano 'ndrina The De Stefano 'ndrina, or the De Stefano family or De Stefano-Tegano family, is one of the most powerful clans of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina hailed from the Archi neighbourhood in Reggi ...

from

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

in the

First 'Ndrangheta war The First 'Ndrangheta war was an internal struggle in the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type criminal organisation in Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, t ...

. Gratteri & Nicaso, ''Fratelli di Sangue''
p.58
/ref> Giuseppe and Nicola Cataldo were part of the hit squad, which also included Vincenzo, Giuseppe and Francesco Mazzaferro, that killed the traditional

boss

Antonio Macrì Antonio Macrì (; – 20 January 1975), popularly known as ("Unca Tony"), was a historical and charismatic boss of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. He was born in Siderno on the Ionian coast of Calabr ...

and wounded Francesco Commisso, Macrì's right hand man. Giuseppe Cataldo became a member of ''

La Provincia The ''Camera di Controllo'' (Board of Control), is a collegial body of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria in Southern Italy. It is also known as ''La Provincia'' (the Province) or ''Camera di Compensazione'' (compensation board ...

'', a provincial commission of the

formed at the end of the

Second 'Ndrangheta war The Second 'Ndrangheta war was an internal struggle in the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal organisation in Calabria (southern Italy). The conflict raged from 1985–1991 in Reggio Calabria. Practically all the 'ndrine in Reggio Calabria grouped into eith ...

in September 1991, to avoid further internal conflicts.Sentenza procedimento penale Olimpia
, Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, January 19, 1999

Arrest

On July 4, 1993, he was the target of a bomb attack when a bomb was thrown at the car driven by his wife. The car was completely destroyed but Cataldo and his wife miraculously survived. The attack broke the truce between the Cataldo and Cordì families that had been reached in 1975. A few months later he was arrested. He was sentenced to 24 years. Among other things, he was convicted for ordering the killing of

, the historical

boss in the 1960s, who was killed in

Siderno Siderno ( or ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy, about 3 kilometres from Locri. Siderno Marina is the newer town located on the Ionian coast. It is a destination for both Italian ...

in 1975.

Death

In 2009, he was released from prison after serving his sentence in the trial against

clans in the

Locride Locride is an area of Calabria, Italy around the town of Locri in the Province of Reggio Calabria. The term takes origin from the Locris, an ancient Greek region. It is divided into 5 areas: * Vallata dello Stilaro * Vallata del Torbido * Epizefir ...

. On May 10, 2011, he died from a heart failure at his house in

.Locri: morto d'infarto il boss Giuseppe Cataldo, detto "Pepè"
, Il Quotidiano della Calabria, May 10, 2011

References

*Arlacchi, Pino (1988). ''Mafia Business. The Mafia Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'', Oxford: Oxford University Press * Gratteri, Nicola & Antonio Nicaso (2006).
Fratelli di Sangue
', Cosenza: Luigi Pellegrini Editore {{DEFAULTSORT:Cataldo, Giuseppe 1938 births 'Ndranghetisti People from Locri 2011 deaths