Rocco Lo Presti (born Rocco Lopresti May 6, 1937 – January 23, 2009), known in

Marina di Gioiosa Ionica Marina di Gioiosa Ionica (Central-Southern Calabrian, Calabrian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italy, Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calab ...

, his town of origin as "Roccu u Maneja", was an Italian

crime boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...

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 organization 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 ...

, Italy, but his criminal base was

Bardonecchia Bardonecchia (; ; , ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley. It grew out of a small village with the works for the Fréjus Rail Tunnel, the first c ...

, in

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

region.

Biography

Lo Presti was born on May 6, 1937, in

from a humble peasant family. The father Salvatore Lopresti and the mother Maria Caterina Femia make do as they can, working the land. The first of eight children, he leaves elementary school very early and joins his uncle, in close contact with the

capobastone The Capobastone is a high-ranking 'Ndrangheta who is in charge of a 'ndrina. It is the Calabrian equivalent for the Sicilian ''Capomandamento''. Rule In a 'ndrina, the Capobastone make the most important decisions, and report only at the "Capo cr ...

(head of command) of

Gioiosa Ionica Gioiosa Ionica ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Italy in the province of Reggio Calabria, region of Calabria. It lies near the east coast of Calabria and covers an area of . The remains of a theatre belonging to the Roman period were di ...

, Rocco Amleto Monteleone, known as " Roccu u Regginu ", managing the business of his uncle and Monteleone, in the market fruit first, and market fish after. At the age of 16, he left

and moved to

together with his cousins, the Mazzaferro brothers. In 1957 he was arrested in

Casale Monferrato Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy, northwestern Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po River, Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montfe ...

for selling counterfeit money, together his cousin Cosimo Ierinò, known as " Cosimu u Caddara". In 1963 he was sent to stay in ''soggiorno obbligato'' in

, and booming construction puts on a small construction company. In September of the same year, Mario Corino, unionist and future mayor of

was attacked and beaten at night by strangers. The police arrested for the attack, two calabrese workers. Francesco Ursino, brother-in-law of Lo Presti, and Antonio Zucco, originally from

Ciminà Ciminà () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 652 and an a ...

. Questioned by the judge, the two declared to have beaten Corino, because he was an Italian

Labor Union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

spy. Lo Presti had been the instigator. In 1965 he was arrested in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

by the Swiss

gendarmery A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (). In France and som ...

, with Alberto Re, an entrepreneur of Bardonecchia, for a series of thefts in the villas. They were arrested for the last shot they took. Theft of 60 million jewels inside a judge's villa. He was tried and sentenced to two years imprisonment. In 1968, Lo Presti returned to

and married a ''compaesana'' in one of the most luxurious hotels in the city, the ''Grand Hotel Riky''. Among the guests, the well-known American boss

Frank Coppola (mobster) Frank Coppola (born Francesco Paolo Coppola; 1899 in Partinico – 26 April 1982 in Aprilia), known as "Frank Three Fingers", was an Italian-American mobster and crime boss. Background Frank Coppola was born in Partinico, Sicily, Italy in 1899. ...

known as ''Frank Tree Fingers'' and the Gambinos of

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a Township (New Jersey), township within Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As a suburb of Philadelphia, the township is part of the South Jersey and Delaware Valley regions. Cherry Hill ...

. In December 1969 he was suspected as the instigator of the Timpano murder. At

Exilles Exilles (Occitan: ''Eissilhas''; nonstandard Occitan: ''Isiya''; Piedmontese: ''Isiles''; Latin: ''Excingomagus'' or ''Scingomagus''; Italianization under Italian Fascism: ''Esille'') is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Itali ...

, along the

Val di Susa The Susa Valley (; ; ; ; ) is a valley in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the south. It is one of the longest valleys of the Italian Alps. It ...

provincial road, the body of Vincenzo Timpano from

Grotteria Grotteria is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. The local economy, once based on agriculture and shepherdry, ...

was found. He was killed by his brother-in-law Giuseppe Oppedisano, who in turn is a brother-in-law of Rocco Lo Presti. The body was sprinkled with gasoline and set on fire. The

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

1750 owned by Lo Presti was found at the scene of the crime. Oppedisano confessed, but he never revealed the motive. Lo Presti instead had an unassailable alibi. He was flying on a plane to

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

. In June 1970, just six months later, he was again suspected as the instigator of the D'Aguanno murder. The body of Luigi D'Aguanno was found in an abandoned landfill at

Moncalieri Moncalieri (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 56,134 inhabitants (31 January 2022) about directly south of downtown Turin (to whose Metropolitan City of Turin, Metropolitan City it belongs), in Piedmont, Italy. It is the most populous suburb ...

, a professional

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or net (textile), netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its ...

just released from prison. Someone said he paid a tip to the police with his life. The police arrested for the murder, Carmine Messina on the car owned by Lo Presti. Also that time Lo Presti was flying on a plane bound for

,but was acquitted of all charges.

From laborer to 'Ndrangheta front man in Bardonecchia

On May 1, 1971, on

Workers' Day International Workers' Day, also called Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

in a bar in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, a group of ''Calabrese'' immigrants engaged in a gunfight. One of whom was Carmelo Manti who left four dead on the ground. They were arms merchants who demanded payment of a bribe which Manti owed them almost 2 million lire. Among the dead was Giuseppe Prochilo. He was a boss of the building racket and the Lo Presti's right-hand man. This massacre lifted the veil and broke the silence in the building racket. Manti, revealed information on the racket. He revealed tenders and subcontracts, exploitation, bribes. He revealed the names of the bosses who controlled the racket. Among the names there was also that of Rocco Lo Presti.

discovered an organization sprouted on the misery and suffering of many immigrants. The attention of the newspapers and the judiciary concentrated on

. Through threats, intimidation and abuse of all kinds, he had managed to control the construction workforce in

. In January 1972 a group of armed ''Calabrese'' workers surrounded a construction site ordering the workers to be evacuated and never be seen again. The job thus passed to Lo Presti. However, when the magistrate began the interrogations, no one remembered anything. Leonardo Ferrero, reporter of l’Unità, who was doing a service on building speculation in Val di Susa was threatened by Lo Presti. The

was also threatened. The mayor of

, Mario Corino, reported Lo Presti to be a mobster. In May 1972, Giovanni Rosace said, in

was an intense traffic of arms and precious items coming from

Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...

controlled by Lo Presti. In the same period, a report by the

carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...

claimed that Lo Presti controlled five clandestine gambling dens in

. In 1973, the court of

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 ...

, sent his cousin ''Don Ciccio'' Francesco Mazzaferro to Bardonecchia in ''soggiorno obbligato''. Together they dominated the field of gaining lucrative contracts such as the construction of the

Fréjus Road Tunnel The Fréjus Road Tunnel (, ) is a tunnel that connects France and Italy. It runs under Col du Fréjus in the Cottian Alps between Modane in France and Bardonecchia in Italy. It is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes between France and ...

. They started with illegal hiring, abusive exploitation of workers and racket in yards. Through threats and intimidation they were able to control the labor building in

First Antimafia Commission inspection in Northern Italy and later exile

In 1973 the Parliamentary

Antimafia Commission The Antimafia Commission () is a bicameral commission of the Italian Parliament, composed of members from the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The first commission, formed in 1963, was established as a body of inquiry tasked wi ...

, drawn by the numerous articles in the newspapers, for the first time in

Northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

, conducted an inspection in

, confirming the presence of organized crime, identifying Lo Presti as the

boss of the city. The then

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

chief commissioner A chief commissioner is a commissioner of high rank, usually in chief of several commissioners or similarly styled officers. Colonial In British India the gubernatorial style was chief commissioner in various (not all) provinces (often after bein ...

Emilio Santillo, wrote a voluminous report ''(dossier Santillo)'', about the

infiltration in

, that controlled the building industry with particular reference to the figure of Lo Presti. Due to the report in 1975, Lo Presti was accused to having all the workforce in the construction industry under his control, and at the request of the

public prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

at the

Court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

Bruno Caccia, the judge murdered by the

in 1983, Lo Presti was sentenced to three years in exile in the prison on the island of

Asinara Asinara is an Italian island of in area. The name is Italian for "donkey-inhabited", but it is thought to derive from the Latin "sinuaria", and meaning sinus-shaped. The island is virtually uninhabited. The census of population of 2001 lists o ...

. On the island, he knew many mafia figures,

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 ...

Tommaso Buscetta Tommaso Buscetta (; 13 July 1928 – 2 April 2000) was a high-ranking Italian mobster and a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He became one of the first of its members to turn informant and explain the inner workings of the organization. Buscetta p ...

, Ignazio Pullarà from

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

Giuseppe Di Cristina Giuseppe Di Cristina (April 22, 1923 – May 30, 1978) was a powerful mafioso from Riesi in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, southern Italy. Di Cristina, nicknamed “la tigre’’ (the tiger), was born into a traditional Mafia family ...

from

Riesi Riesi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caltanissetta in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about south of Caltanissetta. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 11,678 and an area of .All de ...

, Rocco Gioffrè from

Seminara Seminara is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Seminara borders the following municipalities: Bagnara Cal ...

, Francesco Barbaro from

Platì Platì (; ) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria, southern Italy. It rises above sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte mountains and is located next to the Aspromonte National Park. History P ...

The kidnapping-murder Ceretto

In February 1976 Lo Presti was taken from the prison of the island of

because he was accused of being the instigator of the Mario Ceretto kidnapping-murder, a wealthy industrialist of

Cuorgnè Cuorgnè (; or ' ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. Cuorgnè is located at the mouth of the Orco Valley, and borders the following municipalities: C ...

found buried in a field in

Orbassano Orbassano (; ) is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin. Orbassano borders the following municipalities: Turin, Rivoli, Rivalta di Torino, Beinasco, Nichelino, Volve ...

. On May 23, 1975, Ceretto was kidnapped and found dead a week later in the abandoned field. Lo Presti was accused by Giovanni Caggegi to be creator of the kidnapping. In the kidnapped were also involved and arrested, Giuseppe Cosimo Ruga from

Monasterace Monasterace (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about south of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. The ruins of the ancient Greek city Caulonia are located ...

, Cosimo Metastasio from

Stilo Stilo (Central-Southern Calabrian, Calabrian: ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is from Reggio Calabria, Reggio. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most bea ...

, Sebastiano Giampaolo, Giuseppe Calabrò, known as and Giuseppe Giorgi from

San Luca San Luca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in Italy, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about east of Reggio Calabria. The town is situated on the eastern slopes of the Aspromonte mountains and in the val ...

, Raffaele La Scala from

and Venanzio Tripodo, son of ''Don'' Mico

Domenico Tripodo Domenico Tripodo (; − August 26, 1976) was an Italian criminal and a historical and charismatic boss of the 'Ndrangheta dominating the city of Reggio Calabria and the surrounding areas. Also known as Don Mico Tripodo, he was one of the most pow ...

. After the arrest of Lo Presti, the clans in

were reorganized. One by one the people close to Lo Presti were eliminated. In February 1977 Carmine ''Carmelo'' Messina, who had been involved with Lo Presti in the D'Aguanno murder disappeared. In July 1977, three hooded killers and armed with ''lupara'' killed Giuseppe Zucco, originally from

, in

tied to Lo Presti. He was part of the organization that recruited the labour for the building industry and had been involved with Lo Presti in the traffic of arms and precious items coming from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

with the Organizer crime in Marseilles. The other two brothers of Zucco, Rocco and Antonio were also killed, also very close to Lo Presti. Murders to frame everyone in the so-called ''Faida di Ciminà'' in

. In July 1978, while the trial of the Ceretto murder was under way, Giuseppe Oppedisano, brother-in-law of Lo Presti, after nine years in jail for the Timpano murder, crowds of jealousy, went out of prison and killed his wife. The victim was Giuseppa Lo Presti, sister of Rocco Lo Presti. A real blow to Lo Presti and his reputation as a boss of the

. Those who knew him argue that, at that time, Lo Presti was so powerful that he would never have allowed such an affront to pass. Even Caggegi, who accused him of kidnapping Ceretto, when knew of Lo Presti's arrival in the Le Nuove prison in

, took refuge on the roofs of the penitentiary for three days for fear of reprisals. In February 1979 Oppedisano committed suicide. He was found hanged in the toilets of the

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

mental asylum. Four months earlier Lo Presti was released from prison. For the Ceretto kidnapping, Lo Presti will be acquitted in the first instance, but will be sentenced on appeal to 26 years imprisonment. Lo Presti foreseeing the sentence, deserts the hearing and goes untraceable. His lawyers appeal to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. In the meantime he took refuge in

moving between

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

and doing some good business with the Organizer crime in Marseilles. He will go on a golden fugitive of two years and in December 1982 the big turning point arrives. The

clamorously refers the documents to the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

due to irregularities and the judgment concludes with an acquittal for insufficient evidence, definitively excluding Lo Presti from any involvement in the Ceretto case. Years later it will be discovered that this decision by the

was not entirely accidental. Rocco Lo Presti allegedly gave the archivist of the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

, Monsignor Don Simeone Duca, 30 million lire for his intercession with the magistrate of the

It is said that ''Don'' Giovanni Stilo, the priest of

Africo Africo (Central-Southern Calabrian, Calabrian: ; ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the Southern Italian region of Calabria located from Reggio Calabria. Africo consists of two main centers. The first, Africo Vecchio (Old A ...

, gave him contact with ''Don'' Simeone Duca. In 1987 he was arrested for a fraud of three billion lire to a bank of

Cuneo Cuneo (; ; ; ) is a city and in Piedmont, Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in the south-west of Piedmont, at the confluence of the ri ...

, but that time he was acquitted of all charges. In 1991, Lo Presti requested and obtained criminal rehabilitation. In 1993, Lo Presti's nephew, Giuseppe Ursino, was arrested in

, along with fifteen other people for arms and drug trafficking. Representatives of 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 ...

from

and the

Commisso 'ndrina The Commisso 'ndrina () is a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organization in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Siderno, but also has a branch in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada as part of the Siderno Gro ...

from

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 ...

are also involved and arrested.

Bardonecchia first municipality in northern Italy dissolved for alleged mafia infiltration

In 1991 Pierluigi Leone, chief

police commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

was suddenly transferred to

without reason, just two months after his arrival. Leone had touched strong political interests in

, was investigating the future realization of the ''Campo Smith'' complex and had written an investigative report on Lo Presti and proposed a measure of prevention against him. Lo Presti himself had threatened him and made him understand that he was aware of confidential inquiries about him. In 1995 Lo Presti was re-arrested because of his involvement in the deal ''Campo Smith''. The construction of a mega residence, located in ''Campo Smith'', at the foot of the ski resorts. An investment of 50 billion lire was the biggest work ever made in

after the

. According to the indictment Lo Presti was the head of the organization that handled the entire ''Campo Smith'' operation. Alessandro Gibello, the mayor of

was unjustly arrested (prosecuted, Alessandro Gibello was acquitted and compensated for damages), and all officials of the municipality were investigated for alleged constraints due to the organized crime. The

marshal of

was also investigated. All the biggest construction sites in the

were seized by the magistrate and was also involved and arrested Gaetano Belfiore, brother of the well-known boss of the

transplanted in

, Domenico ''Mimmo'' Belfiore. On May 5, 1995, by decree of the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

is dissolved for alleged mafia, by the

President of the Italian Republic The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The presid ...

, the

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

, the first municipality in

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

dissolved for alleged mafia infiltration. The Court seized property and assets to Lo Presti worth 10 billion lire. In April 2001, during the trial ''Campo Smith'', a government witness, said in prison by a certain Musuraci detained in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, of a possible Lo Presti involvement, together with the Belfiore and Ursini crime families, in the murder of the

chief

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...

, Bruno Caccia. However, there was not evidence of a direct role of Lo Presti in that murder and no charges stuck. Also the government witnesses, Giacomo Lauro and Francesco Fonti, declared to the judges of the

Court, of the existence in

, of a ''locale'' of

, headed by Rocco Lo Presti and Francesco Mazzaferro, which dated back to the 1970s. The government witness from Palermo, Vincenzo Lo Vecchio, claimed that Lo Presti and Francesco Mazzaferro, were involved together with other Calabrese, in a large traffic of cocaine from

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. But even in this case, the investigators never managed to obtain evidence against Lo Presti.

The rise of the Ursinos nephews

From 2000 onwards the criminal structures in

changed. Due to constant pressure from the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, Lo Presti was forced to cede the command scepter to his nephews, the brothers Luciano and Giuseppe Ursino. With this move, Lo Presti hoped to draw less attention to himself. Convinced then, from so many years of impunity, that in the event of judicial troubles, at most they could forbid him to leave

, the law that established the obligatory stay, in the place of residence. The nephew, Luciano Ursino, very soon entered into business relations with the brothers Adolfo and Aldo Cosimo Crea, from

, emerging bosses of the

, with a videopoker tour, trimming gaming machines to as many merchants as possible, from

. In 2003, on the eve of the

2006 Winter Olympic Games The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter Oly ...

, he began to talk about tenders in

. The first threats arrived. The Works Director of the

highway ( Autostrada A32), and the

Agency for

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...

, received envelopes with bullets. The Ursinos managed to bribe a

police inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

who informed them about the investigation and gave them a scanner to find bugs. In April 2004, the Ursinos approached a politician to try to obtain

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

funding, and set up a millionaire wear ring, that extended from

. Among the victims strangled by

usury Usury () is the practice of making loans that are seen as unfairly enriching the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is charged in e ...

, there was a well-known political figure, who denounced the organization, and in November 2006 Rocco Lo Presti was arrested along with his nephews Ursinos. The Court seized again assets to him worth 2 million euros. Lo Presti spent the last period of life moving from one hospital to another. Lo Presti died of a heart attack on January 23, 2009, in the department detainment of the Molinette Hospital in

at the age of 72, the day after he was sentenced to six years for criminal association with the mafia.Rocco Il padrino della Val di Susa

La Stampa (English: "The Press") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin with an average circulation of 87,143 copies in May 2023. Distributed in Italy and other European nations, it is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. Until the late 1970 ...

January 24, 2009 Few attended his funeral for fear of police checks. Lo Presti was buried in the

cemetery.