Police on Thursday
arrested eight people in Italy and the United States on
suspicion of mafia crimes, including an alleged member of the
Gambino American mafia clan.
Francesco Palmieri was arrested in an apartment in New York
after allegedly travelling to Italy under a false identity a few
months ago to demand payment of credit dating back 30 years from
a businessman in the southern Basilicata region on behalf of the
Gambino family, one of New York's five Cosa Nostra families.
Other suspects arrested in Tuesday's sweep include Giovanni
'Johnny' Grillo, who was apprehended at Milan's Malpensa airport
as he was boarding a plane to the US.
The suspects all face charges of criminal association for
extortion purposes with mafia-style methods and transnationality
as aggravating circumstances.
The investigation shows "once again the existence of a
traditional and consolidated criminal axis between mafia clans
operating in the US and organisations based in Italy,"
investigators said.
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