Cosimo Di Lauro (8 December 1973 – 13 June 2022) was an Italian Camorrista who was acting boss of the

Di Lauro clan The Di Lauro clan () is an Italian crime clan, part of the Camorra in Naples. The clan operates in the neighbourhoods of Secondigliano, Scampìa, Miano, Marianella, Piscinola, and in the adjacent municipalities of Casavatore, Melito, Arzano, ...

from

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 ...

. Due to his flamboyant nature and passion for designer clothes, he earned the nickname "The Designer Don". Di Lauro is known by some as ''"o' Chiatto"'' (fat boy), and to journalists as the "prince regent".'Designer don' wins hearts of teenagers
''The Daily Telegraph'', 1 February 2005

Biography

Taking over from his father

As the eldest son of the Camorra boss,

Paolo Di Lauro Paolo Di Lauro (; born August 26, 1953) is an Italian crime boss, leader of the Di Lauro Clan, a Camorra crime organization. He is also known as () among other aliases. In 2002 he was included in the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy and wa ...

aka ''Ciruzzo 'o milionario'' ("Ciruzzo the millionaire"), Cosimo took over control of the family business after his father needed to hide from the police.Gang's Deadly Feud Plagues Naples
, Los Angeles Times, 17 February 2005E ora è caccia a Marco e Nunzio
, Il Roma, 28 March 2007 Cosimo Di Lauro wanted to centralize the drug dealing operation that had been run as a franchise in which dealers paid the Di Lauros a fee for doing business and were allowed to buy the drugs from any available source. He removed older gangsters and replaced them with young toughs new to the business. In revolt, a faction known as the "secessionists" (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Scissionisti'') challenged the Di Lauros in October 2004.

Scampia feud

One of the local dealers,

Raffaele Amato Raffaele Amato (born November 11, 1965 in Naples) is an Italian Camorra boss and head of the Amato-pagano clan, a Camorra clan from Naples. He is known by multiple nicknames in the Neapolitan criminal underworld, including ''"Lo Spagnolo"'' (Th ...

, disputed the new rules, fled to Spain and organized a revolt against his former bosses. In

Scampia Scampia (, ) is a modern suburb in the far north of Naples, whose population is about 80,000. To its south are the suburbs of Piscinola-Marianella, Miano and Secondigliano. It was built during the second half of the twentieth century. History ...

, they are known as the Spaniards. Raffaele Amato ordered the killing of Fulvio Montanino and Claudio Salierno, loyal to Di Lauro, on 28 October 2004. During their funeral three days later, police arrested two men armed with machine guns who were planning to spray the funeral procession.Weekends turn bloody in Naples mafia war
''The Guardian'', 18 December 2004 The resulting gang war, known as the

Scampia feud Scampia (, ) is a modern suburb in the far north of Naples, whose population is about 80,000. To its south are the suburbs of Piscinola-Marianella, Miano and Secondigliano. It was built during the second half of the twentieth century. History S ...

, resulted in over 60 murders in 2004 and 2005. The two bands fought each other with a brutality that stunned even hardened Carabinieri. The feud caused widespread public revulsion against the Camorra and led to a major crackdown by the authorities, resulting in the capture and imprisonment of high-ranking Camorra figures, including his father.Italian Police Arrest Fugitive Crime Leader in Naples Gang War
''The New York Times'', 17 September 2005

Arrest

Cosimo Di Lauro was eventually arrested on 21 January 2005, in the neighbourhood of

.Arrestato Cosimo Di Lauro, figlio ed erede del boss Paolo
La Repubblica, 21 January 2005 In February, 2008, he was handed down a 15-year prison sentence for ''associazione camorristica''. On 13 December 2008, he was again sentenced to life imprisonment for ordering the murder of

Gelsomina Verde Gelsomina Verde (; 5 December 1982 – 21 November 2004) was a victim of the Camorra who was tortured and subsequently murdered during the Scampia feud in the city of Naples on 21 November 2004, aged 21. Murder Verde, a leather factory worker ...

, the former girlfriend of a rival Scissionisti gangster, Gennaro Notturno on 21 November 2004. Gelsomina was abducted, tortured and subsequently murdered by

members, in an effort to make her disclose Notturno's whereabouts. The killers then set her body on fire inside her car, in order to protect them from the "

evil eye The Evil Eye ( grc, ὀφθαλμὸς βάσκανος; grc-koi, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός; el, (κακό) μάτι; he, עַיִן הָרָע, ; Romanian: ''Deochi''; it, malocchio; es, mal de ojo; pt, mau-olhado, olho gordo; ar ...

".'The blood is running': Mafia wars erupt again
''The Independent'', 8 December 2004Roberto Saviano sul delitto di Gelsomina Verde
robertosaviano.it

Death

Cosimo Di Lauro died in prison on 13 June 2022, whilst under the 41-bis prison regime, as a result of physical deterioration. He was 48 years old. Di Lauro's funeral was held in a private ceremony in

Secondigliano Secondigliano () is an old Italian municipality which became a modern suburb in the north of Naples. Geography Secondigliano lies between San Pietro a Patierno and Scampìa. History The name may derive from a contraction of "secondo" (second) an ...

on 21 June, 2022. According to the media, his brothers did not attend the funeral.

In popular culture

* ''

Gomorrah (TV series) ''Gomorrah'' ( it, Gomorra - La serie) is an Italian crime drama television series created by Roberto Saviano for Sky Atlantic. Based on Saviano's book of the same name, the show premiered on Sky Atlantic in Italy on 6 May 2014 and ran for five ...

'' Inspired by the

and their war against the

Scissionisti di Secondigliano The Scissionisti di Secondigliano or Amato-Pagano clan is a Camorra clan from the Secondigliano district of Naples, headed by Raffaele Amato and Cesare Pagano. They are also known as ''"Spagnoli"'' (Spaniards) because of their strong presence in ...

led by

References

External links

Di Lauro Clan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Di Lauro, Cosimo 1973 births 2022 deaths Camorristi sentenced to life imprisonment Criminals from Naples Di Lauro clan