Antonio Iovine (; born September 20, 1964 in
San Cipriano d'Aversa
San Cipriano d'Aversa () is an Italian commune and municipality in the Province of Caserta, region of Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about southwest of Caserta. The town is located on the territory of Agro aversano - a rural area ...
) is a powerful Italian
Camorrista and one of the bosses of the
Casalesi clan
The Casalesi clan is a clan within the Camorra, an Italian criminal organization, operating from Casal di Principe and San Cipriano d'Aversa in the province of Caserta between Naples and Latium. Formed by Antonio Bardellino, it is a confederatio ...
from
Casal di Principe
Casal di Principe (Campanian: or simply ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region of Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about southwest of Caserta. It has a population of approximately 21,000 ...
in the
province of Caserta
The Province of Caserta ( it, Provincia di Caserta) is a province in the Campania region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta, situated about by road north of Naples. The province has an area of , and had a total population of 9 ...
between
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and
Lazio
it, Laziale
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. His nickname is ("the baby"), because of his baby face when he was made a capo at a very young age.
[Morire di rifiuti]
L’Espresso, June 6, 2007
Fugitive
He has been on the "
most wanted list
A most wanted list is a list of criminals and alleged criminals who are believed to be at large and are identified as a law enforcement agency's highest priority for capture. The list can alert the public to be watchful, and generates publicity ...
" of the Italian ministry of the Interior since 1996 and since 2002 for murder and other crimes, until his arrest in November 2010. On August 10, 1999, an international warrant was issued against him, to be arrested for extradition. He is close to
Francesco Schiavone
Francesco Schiavone (; born 3 March 1954) is a member of the Camorra, the Caserta organized crime syndicate, and the head of the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta. He has been dubbed ''Sandokan'' after a popular 197 ...
alias Sandokan, the head of the Casalesi clan. Iovine's daughter, Filomena (Milly), is engaged to be married with Ivanoe Schiavone, the son of Sandokan.
[Antonio Iovine, 'o ninno, delfino di Sandokan e sodale di Zagaria]
Corriere del Mezzogiorno, November 17, 2010
Business mind
Antonio Iovine is considered the ‘minister of garbage’ of the Camorra.
[ In ]Campania
Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
, the Camorra controls the entire cycle of garbage disposal, running the dumps, waste transport companies and other businesses, raking in US$ 880 million a year, according to Anti-mafia prosecutors.[Naples' trash crisis tied to mob, toxic waste]
The Associated Press, February 23, 2008 Investigators suspect Antonio Iovine's ability to evade arrests is thanks in part to mob infiltration of local government.[Mafia bosses held meetings in police station]
The Guardian, September 29, 2007
He is regarded as the business mind of the organisation. Iovine is also considered to be the one behind the clan’s expansion beyond the boundaries of Campania. Investigators believe that Iovine was the Camorra's deal-maker, recycling the illicit revenue from illegal activities such as drug trafficking and protection rackets, into the legal economy, in particular the cement business.[
]
Trial in absentia and later arrest
He was sentenced to life on June 19, 2008, after 10-year trial—named the Spartacus Trial
The Spartacus Maxi-Trial(Italian: Processo Spartacus) was a series of criminal trials, each specifically directed against the activities of the powerful Casalesi clan of the Camorra. The trial was opened at the Corte d'Assise of Santa Maria Capu ...
—against 36 members of the Casalesi clan charged with a string of murders and other crimes.[Mafia godfathers jailed for life in landmark murder trial]
''The Daily Telegraph'', June 20, 2008[«Processo Spartacus», 16 ergastoli ai Casalesi]
Corriere del Mezzogiorno, June 20, 2008 When still a fugitive boss, Iovine and his close ally, Michele Zagaria
Michele Zagaria (; born 21 May 1958) is an Italian Camorrista and one of the bosses of the Casalesi clan from Casal di Principe in the province of Caserta northwest of Naples. He was nicknamed , which translates to "twisted head", because of hi ...
, were considered to be in charge of the Casalesi clan. Zagara was arrested December 7, 2011.
Iovine was arrested on November 17, 2010, in Casal di Principe
Casal di Principe (Campanian: or simply ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region of Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about southwest of Caserta. It has a population of approximately 21,000 ...
, in a small villa in Casal di Principe, the gang's heartland north of Naples.[Italy police arrest top Camorra mafia boss]
BBC News, November 17, 2010 He was unarmed and, after a first attempt to get away over a terrace, offered no resistance.[Camorra Boss Antonio Iovine Arrested]
Corriere della Sera, November 18, 2010 Crime writer Roberto Saviano
Roberto Saviano (; born 22 September 1979) is an Italian writer, essayist, journalist, and screenwriter. In his writings, including articles and his book '' Gomorrah'', he uses literature and investigative reporting to tell of the economic reali ...
, who following the publication of his bestselling book '' Gomorrah'' about the Camorra has been threatened and needs a permanent police escort since 2006, said about the arrest: “I’ve been waiting for this day for 14 years. Antonio Iovine’s arrest is a fundamental step forward in the fight against organised crime. Iovine is an entrepreneur gang boss, capable of managing hundreds of millions of euros. I hope that a thorough clear-out will now be possible."[
Following three years of careful pressuring by prosecutors, Iovine decided to become an informant (]pentito
''Pentito'' (; lit. "repentant"; plural: ''pentiti'') is used colloquially to designate collaborators of justice in Italian criminal procedure terminology who were formerly part of criminal organizations and decided to collaborate with a public ...
) and collaborate with magistrates on May 22, 2014.[ Saviano went as far as saying that it "will change the course of history in our country."
]41 bis
In Italian law, Article 41-bis of the Prison Administration Act, also known as carcere duro ("hard prison regime"), is a provision that allows the Minister of Justice or the Minister of the Interior to suspend certain prison regulations. Currently ...
prison regime in an isolated high-security prison unit as part of his life imprisonment sentence.[Si pente il superboss di Gomorra: Antonio Iovine, padrino del clan dei Casalesi]
La Repubblica, May 22, 2014
References
External links
Top mafia boss Antonio Iovine arrested
BBC News, November 19, 2010 (video)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iovine, Antonio
1964 births
Living people
People from the Province of Caserta
Camorristi
Casalesi clan
Pentiti