The Mafia Capitale is the name given to an organized crime organization and subsequent investigation involving the government of the city of Rome, in which members stole money destined for city services and carried out other criminal activities such as

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

, conspiracy, loan-sharking, extortion,

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

, illegal works, and

bribery Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...

. It operated in the city of Rome and the region of Lazio.

Background

A police investigation by Rome's chief prosecutor, Giuseppe Pignatone, revealed a network of corrupt relationships between some politicians and criminals in the Italian capital. The criminal actions took advantage of the recent influx of immigrants to Italy, gaining public contracts to manage migrant reception centres. The criminal organization also used its connections to secure lucrative public contracts, before accepting payments for substandard or, sometimes, non-existent services. Among those investigated are former mayor

Gianni Alemanno Giovanni "Gianni" Alemanno (born 3 March 1958) is an Italian politician who from April 2008 until June 2013 was Mayor of Rome for the centre-right People of Freedom. He was the Secretary of the National Movement for Sovereignty from 2017 to 201 ...

and the bosses Salvatore Buzzi and Massimo Carminati, a former member of Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari and Banda della Magliana, as well as members of the

'Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate and secret society, criminal society based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered one of ...

. A 1200-page arrest warrant was issued in December 2014, and was followed by dozens of arrests. Among those investigated and arrested of the government of the city were the president of Rome's city council, the head of the city's public-housing division, and the former president of

Ostia Ostia may refer to: Places *Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome *Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome *Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome Arts and entertainment ...

. On 18 December 2015, Alemanno was indicted for corruption and illicit financing. According to the accusation, Alemanno received €125,000 from the cooperatives' boss Salvatore Buzzi. On 7 February 2017, the allegation of an external cooperation in a mafia association was filed, including the allegations of corruption and illicit funding. On 20 July 2017, Carminati was sentenced to 20 years in jail, along with other various sentences of his associates. On 11 September 2018, on appeal, Carminati was sentenced to 14 years and six months, with Buzzi sentenced to 18 years and four months.

In popular culture

The events of the Mafia Capitale investigation are the basis for the 2015 film '' Suburra'', and the 2017 TV series '' Suburra: Blood on Rome''.

References

{{Reflist 1999 establishments in Italy 2014 disestablishments in Italy Crime in Rome Organized crime events in Italy Organised crime groups in Italy