The Casamonica clan is an Italian criminal organization present in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and operating in the area of the

Castelli Romani The so-called Roman Castles (''Castelli Romani'' in Italian) are a group of '' comunes'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome. They are located a short distance south-east of the city of Rome, at the feet of the Alban Hills, in the territory corres ...

and the

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

coast.

Origins

The Casamonica clan originates from the Casamonica and Di Silvio families, families of sedentary

Sinti The Sinti (also ''Sinta'' or ''Sinte''; masc. sing. ''Sinto''; fem. sing. ''Sintesa'') are a subgroup of Romani people mostly found in Germany and Central Europe that number around 200,000 people. They were traditionally itinerant, but today o ...

originating from Abruzzo and Molise, who came from

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

and

Venafro Venafro (Latin: ''Venafrum''; Greek: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Isernia, region of Molise, Italy. It has a population of 11,079, having expanded quickly in the post-war period. Geography Situated at the foot of Mount Santa Croce, elevat ...

to the capital in the seventies. The group is made up of the members of these families, with occasional relations with other Sinti families such as the De Rosa, the Di Guglielmo, the Di Rocco, the Ciarelli, the Di Colombi, the Di Lauro, the Zini, the Spada and the Spinelli; they also rely on the Seferović of Bosnian origin.

Areas of activity

The traditional cornerstones of the

mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

clan are the areas located in the south-eastern outskirts of Rome: Romanina, Anagnina, Porta Furba, Tuscolano,

Spinaceto Spinaceto is the urban area 12g of Municipio IX of the city of Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolit ...

, and further south, in other municipalities up to

Frascati Frascati () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated wit ...

and

Monte Compatri Monte Compatri () is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about southeast of Rome on the Alban Hills. It is one of the Castelli Romani. History Monte Compatri has been identified w ...

. According to the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (DIA), the Casamonica clan is the most powerful and rooted criminal structure in the Region of

, with estimated assets amounting to 90 million euros. According to a census by Vittorio Rizzi, head of the Rome mobile team (''Squadra Mobile'', a division of State Police), the clan is made up of around a thousand affiliates.

Activities

The Casamonica clan was associated with racketeering, extortion and usury for decades, with very little public exposure until a lavish funeral for crime boss Vittorio Casamonica caused outrage in 2015. The clan is known for ostentatious funerals and garishly decorated villas. Illegally built villas in the Quadraro district were demolished in 2018 during the incumbency of Virginia Raggi as mayor of Rome. In June 2022, eleven clan members were facing trial over electricity theft.

References

{{Authority control 1970 establishments in Italy Organised crime groups in Italy Romani organized crime groups