Authorities on Tuesday seized
assets worth 25 million euros from crime boss Ernesto
Diotallevi, whom prosecutors believe to be the local
representative of Sicily's Cosa Nostra mafia.
The assets include businesses, bank accounts, artwork, real
estate in Rome and Sardinian resort of Olbia, and a hotel in the
resort town of Fiuggi.
The move was requested by prosecutors investigating an
alleged Mafia ring that has allegedly been looting the Eternal
City for years by muscling in on public contracts.
In the course of that investigation, wiretaps revealed
mobsters also planned to set up a contraband fuel oil scam to be
based at the port of Fiumicino.
Magistrates last December decided to open a new line of
inquiry after Diotallevi was recorded telling his sons Leonardo
and Mario on the telephone that "if we throw ourselves into
smuggling...you could go at it for two years like a...
bulldozer".
The Carabinieri special anti-mafia unit (ROS) said the
phone taps showed Diotallevi senior, aged 70, wanted "to install
a petrol pump at (Fiumicino) naval docks in order to (divert)
fuel with his sons Mario and Leonardo and with the participation
of Mario Gonelli (former centre-right candidate for mayor of
Fiumicino) and (Finance Guard sergeant) Giuseppe Volpe".
"The operation was aimed at re-selling fuel on the black
market," the ROS report said.
Tuesday's court-ordered asset seizure paves the way for
similar measures against key Mafia Capitale suspects. Among them
is suspected ringleader, former gangster and ex-rightwing
terrorist Massimo Carminati, who was arrested late last year on
charges including fraud, money laundering, embezzlement and
bribing public officials.
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