Matteo Messina Denaro (; born 26 April 1962), also known as ''Diabolik'', is a Sicilian Mafia boss. He got his nickname from the Italian comic book character of the same name. He is considered to be one of the new leaders of Cosa Nostra after the arrest of

Bernardo Provenzano Bernardo Provenzano (; 31 January 1933 – 13 July 2016) was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia clan known as the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone, and ''de facto'' the boss of bosses (''il capo ...

on 11 April 2006, and the arrest of Salvatore Lo Piccolo in November 2007. Messina Denaro became known nationally on 12 April 2001 when the magazine ''

L'Espresso ''L'Espresso'' () is an Italian weekly news magazine. It is one of the two most prominent Italian weeklies; the other is '' Panorama''. Since 2022 it has been published by BFC Media. History and profile One of Italy's foremost newsmagazines, ' ...

'' put him on the cover with the headline: ''Ecco il nuovo capo della Mafia'' ("Here is the new head of the Mafia", or "Here is the new Mafia boss"). He has been a fugitive 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 ...

since 1993 and according to ''

Forbes magazine ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...

'' he is among the ten most wanted criminals in the world.The World's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives
Forbes Magazine, 13 May 2010Who is now on the World's Most Wanted list?
The Guardian, 4 May 2011 With the deaths of Bernardo Provenzano in 2016 and Salvatore Riina in 2017, Messina Denaro is seen as the unchallenged boss of all bosses within the Mafia.

Early life

Matteo Messina Denaro was born in

Castelvetrano Castelvetrano ( scn, Castiḍḍuvitranu) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, Sicily, southern Italy. The archeological site of Selinunte is located within the municipal territory. The municipality borders with Campobello d ...

in the

province of Trapani Trapani ( it, Provincia di Trapani, scn, Pruvincia di Tràpani; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. His father, Francesco Messina Denaro, known as ''Don Ciccio'', was the '' capo mandamento'' of Castelvetrano and the head of the Mafia Commission of the Trapani region. Matteo learned to use a gun at 14, and committed his first of many murders at 18. He is estimated to have killed at least 50 people. "I filled a cemetery all by myself," he once bragged. He made a reputation by murdering rival boss Vincenzo Milazzo from

Alcamo Alcamo (; scn, Àrcamu, italic=no) is the fourth-largest town and communes of Italy, commune of the Province of Trapani, Sicily, with a population of 44.925 inhabitants. It is on the borderline with the Metropolitan City of Palermo at a distan ...

and strangling Milazzo's three-months pregnant girlfriend. His father started as a ''campiere'' (armed guard) of the D'Alì family, wealthy landowners who were among the founders of the '' Banco Sicula''. He became the ''fattore'' (overseer of an estate) of the D'Alì land holdings. They handed over a significant estate in the area Zangara (Castelvetrano) to Messina Denaro. However, the real new owner turned out to be Salvatore Riina, with whom Messina Denaro was allied. Antonio D'Alì Sr. had to resign from the board of the ''Banco Sicula'' in 1983 because he appeared on the list of the secret freemason lodge Propaganda Due (P2) of

Licio Gelli Licio Gelli (; April 21, 1919 – December 15, 2015) was an Italian financier. A Fascist volunteer in his youth, he is chiefly known for his role in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal. He was revealed in 1981 as being the Venerable Master of the ...

. His son Antonio D'Alì Jr. became a senator for

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies f ...

's Forza Italia party in 1996, and in April 2001 under-secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, the institution responsible for fighting organised crime. His cousin Giacomo D'Alì is a counsellor of the ''

Banca Commerciale Italiana Banca Commerciale Italiana (COMIT), founded in 1894, was once one of the largest banks in Italy. In 1999 it merged with a banking group consisting of Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde (aka Cariplo; est. 1823) and Banco Ambroveneto, wh ...

'' (Comit) in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, which acquired the Banca Sicula in 1991. Matteo's brother Salvatore Messina Denaro, arrested in November 1998, worked at the ''Banca Sicula'' and continued to work for ''Comit''. Messina Denaro is often portrayed as a ruthless

playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

mafioso and womaniser, driving an expensive Porsche sports car and wearing a

Rolex Daytona The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona is a mechanical chronograph wristwatch designed to meet the needs of racing drivers by measuring elapsed time and calculating average speed. Its name refers to Daytona, Florida, where racing flourished in the early 20 ...

watch, Ray Ban sunglasses and fancy clothes from Giorgio Armani and

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as ...

. He is an ardent player of computer games, and is said to be the father of an illegitimate child, which is unusual in the conservative culture of the Mafia. Messina Denaro has a reputation for fast living and allegedly killed a Sicilian hotel owner who accused him of taking young girls to bed.Ecco il nuovo capo della mafia
, L’Espresso, 12 April 2001Cosa Nostra cerca il nuovo padrino
, La Stampa, 13 April 2006 As such, he is remarkably different from traditional Mafia bosses like Salvatore Riina and

who claim to adhere to conservative family values.

Mafia activity

After the natural death of his father in November 1998, Matteo became capo mandamento of the area including Castelvetrano and the neighbouring cities, while Vincenzo Virga ruled in the city of

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an imp ...

and its surroundings. After the arrest of Virga in 2001, Messina Denaro took over the leadership of the Mafia in the province of Trapani.Relazione conclusiva
Final report of the

Antimafia Commission The Italian parliamentary Antimafia Commission ( it, Commissione parlamentare antimafia) is a bicameral commission of the Italian Parliament, composed of members from the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The first commission, formed in 1963, was ...

, presided by senator Roberto Centaro, January 2006 He is said to command some 900 men and apparently reorganised the 20 Mafia families in Trapani into one single mandamento separated from the rest of Cosa Nostra. The Trapani Mafia is considered the ''zoccolo duro'' (solid pedestal) of Cosa Nostra and the most powerful except for the families in Palermo. Messina Denaro gets his money through an extensive extortion racket forcing businesses to pay a '' pizzo'' (

protection Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...

money) and skimming off public construction contracts (the family owns substantial sand quarries). He is also active in the international drug trade, allegedly with the Cuntrera-Caruana clan, attracting attention of the US

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI). He also makes money through legitimate business, he has stakes in a Sicilian supermarket chain and owns vast olive groves. He was involved in olive oil production in a corrupt business, which used cheap African labour. According to the Direzione distrettuale antimafia (DDA) of Palermo he has interests in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and contacts with Colombian drug trafficking cartels as well as the 'Ndrangheta. His illicit networks extend to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Messina Denaro has strong links with Mafia families in Palermo, in particular in Brancaccio, territory of the

Graviano Family The Graviano family () is a Sicilian Mafia clan, composed of four mafioso siblings: Benedetto, Filippo, Giuseppe and Nunzia. Their father was Michele Graviano, uomo d'onore that belonged to the Brancaccio Mafia family and was murdered by Gaetano ...

. Filippo Guttadauro the brother of the Giuseppe Guttadauro – the regent of the Brancaccio Mafia while

Giuseppe Graviano Giuseppe Graviano (; September 30, 1963) is an Italian mafioso from the Brancaccio quarter in Palermo. He also was one the men of the death squad that murdered Salvatore Contorno's relatives. He is currently serving several life sentences. He a ...

and Filippo Graviano are in jail – is the brother-in-law of Messina Denaro. They are involved in cocaine trafficking in agreement with 'Ndrangheta clans from

Platì Platì (; scn, label= Calabrian, Pratì) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria, southern Italy. It rises above sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte mountains and is located next to the Asprom ...

Marina di Gioiosa Ionica Marina di Gioiosa Ionica ( Calabrian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 30 September 2017, it h ...

and

Siderno Siderno ( scn, label= Calabrian, Sidernu or ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy, about 3 kilometres from Locri. Some notable people from Siderno are Marco stalteri, Patrizia lunch ...

, as well as the Mafia family of

Mariano Agate Mariano Agate (19 May 1939 in Mazara del Vallo – 3 April 2013 in Mazara del Vallo) was a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the boss of Mazara del Vallo Mafia family since the 1970s when he replaced the old boss Mariano Licari. He also was ...

.Attività di analisi, progettualità e strategia operativa
Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, 2° semestre 2003Le indagini «Igres»
in the 2006 Final Report of the Italian Antimafia Commission

Fugitive after 1992/93 bombings

After bomb attacks in

Capaci Capaci () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. In 2011 the comune had a population of 11,045, with a density of 1,804.7 people per square kilometre. The A29 '' autostrada'' running from Palermo to Punta ...

and Via D'Amelio that killed prosecutors

Giovanni Falcone Giovanni Falcone (; 18 May 1939 – 23 May 1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian ...

and

Paolo Borsellino Paolo Emanuele Borsellino (; scn, Pàulu Borsellino; 19 January 1940 – 19 July 1992) was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, he spent most of his professional life trying t ...

, the arrest of Salvatore Riina on 15 January 1993 and the introduction of strict prison regime ( article 41-bis), Cosa Nostra embarked on a terrorist campaign in which Messina Denaro played a prominent role. The remaining Mafia bosses, among them Messina Denaro,

Giovanni Brusca Giovanni Brusca (; born 20 February 1957) is an Italian mobster and former member of the Corleonesi clan of the Sicilian Mafia. He had a major role in the 1992 murders of Antimafia Commission prosecutor Giovanni Falcone and businessman Ignazio ...

Leoluca Bagarella Leoluca Bagarella (; born 3 February 1942) is an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is from the town of Corleone. Following Salvatore Riina's arrest in early 1993, Bagarella became the head of the stragist strategy faction, ...

, Antonino Gioè,

and

Gioacchino La Barbera Gioacchino La Barbera (born November 1959 in Altofonte) is a member of the Mafia who became a pentito. He was one of the key witnesses in the trial against the killers of Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone. La Barbera was born in Altofonte, in the ...

, met several times (often in the Santa Flavia area in Bagheria on an estate owned by the mafioso Leonardo Greco). They decided on a strategy to force the Italian state to retreat. That resulted in a series of bomb attacks in the Via dei Georgofili in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, in Via Palestro in

, in the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano and Via San Teodoro 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 ...

, which left 10 people dead and 93 injured as well as damage to centres of cultural heritage such as the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

Gallery.Ordinanza di custodia cautelare in carcere
, Tribunale di Caltanissetta, Ufficio del giudice per le indagini preliminari, 11 April 1994 Messina Denaro also tailed the TV-journalist

Maurizio Costanzo Maurizio Costanzo (born 28 August 1938) is an Italian television host, journalist, screenwriter and film director. Biography Costanzo began his career as a journalist, first as a contributing writer to ''Paese Sera'' and then as managing editor ...

, host of the ''Maurizio Costanzo Show'', who just escaped a car-bomb attack on 14 May 1993. He also observed the movements of

and the Minister of Justice,

Claudio Martelli Claudio Martelli (born 24 September 1943) is an Italian politician. He was the right-hand man of Bettino Craxi, the socialist Prime Minister from 1983–1987. Biography Martelli was born at Gessate, in the province of Milan. He graduated in Phi ...

, in 1991. After the 1993 bombings Messina Denaro went into hiding as of June 1993. According to investigators, between 1994 and 1996 Messina Denaro spent his hiding place between Aspra and Bagheria with his lover Maria Mesi, with whom he went on vacation to Greece under the false name of "Matteo Cracolici".Matteo Messina Denaro il "Re" di Trapani
Antimafiaduemila.com In 1995, Messina Denaro who by then had a daughter from a previous relationship with Francesca Alagna, went to live with his mother. In a letter addressed to a friend, seized by investigators, Messina Denaro revealed that he had never met this daughter. In 2000, Maria Mesi was arrested, and because police found love letters that she had exchanged with Messina Denaro, the following year she was sentenced to three years in prison for

aiding and abetting Aiding and abetting is a legal doctrine related to the guilt of someone who aids or abets (encourages, incites) another person in the commission of a crime (or in another's suicide). It exists in a number of different countries and generally allo ...

together with her brother Francesco. In July 2006, investigators found other love letters from Maria Mesi at the home of Filippo Guttadauro, who had the task of delivering them to his brother-in-law Messina Denaro. On 6 May 2002, Messina Denaro was sentenced ''

in absentia is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in ab ...

'' to life imprisonment for his role in the bombings of 1993.

Possible successor of Provenzano

According to

Giusy Vitale Giuseppa Vitale (born in Partinico, 1972), better known as Giusy, is the sister of Mafia bosses Leonardo, Michele and Vito Vitale from Partinico, Sicily. Giusy took over the command over the clan when her brothers were in prison or fugitives, desp ...

, a '' pentita'', Messina Denaro was one of the '' young Turks'' within Cosa Nostra that wanted to set aside

in 1998. Next to Messina Denaro, they were

Domenico Raccuglia Domenico "Mimmo" Raccuglia (; born October 27, 1964, in Altofonte), nicknamed ("the veterinarian"), is a member of the Mafia in Sicily. He was a fugitive and included on Italy's most wanted list since 1996, until his capture on November 15, 2009 ...

, and

Vito Vitale Salvatore "Vito" Vitale (; born June 20, 1959 in Partinico), also known as ''Fardazza'', is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. For a while he was considered the heir of Totò Riina and was closely connected to Leoluca Bagarella.

. The younger bosses wanted to take strategic decisions without prior consent of Provenzano. They told him to "go home and take care of your family"."La nuova mafia era contro Provenzano"
La Sicilia, 6 April 2005 After the arrest of Provenzano on 11 April 2006, Messina Denaro is often mentioned as his

successor Successor may refer to: * An entity that comes after another (see Succession (disambiguation)) Film and TV * ''The Successor'' (film), a 1996 film including Laura Girling * ''The Successor'' (TV program), a 2007 Israeli television program Musi ...

. His main rivals are supposed to be Salvatore Lo Piccolo, boss of the mandamento of San Lorenzo, Palermo, and

from

Altofonte Altofonte (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Parcu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about southwest of Palermo. Altofonte borders the following municipalities: Belmonte Mez ...

. Provenzano allegedly nominated Messina Denaro in one of his '' pizzini'', which are small slips of paper used to communicate with other mafiosi to avoid phone conversations.Mafia cerca il confronto con lo Stato
, Sebastiano Gulisano, Polizia e democrazia, September 2001
by John Hooper, The Guardian, 13 April 2006 Messina Denaro used the pseudonym "Alessio" in his clandestine correspondence with former Mafia boss Provenzano. He suffers from severe myopia and received treatment for this condition at a clinic in Barcelona, Spain in 1994 and 1996.Changes in Mafia Leadership Reveal New Links to US-Based La Cosa Nostra
DNI Open Source Center, 19 November 2007 This presupposes that Provenzano has the power to nominate a successor, which is not unanimously accepted among Mafia observers. According to anti-Mafia prosecutor Antonio Ingroia of the Direzione distrettuale antimafia (DDA) of Palermo, "The Mafia today is more of a federation and less of an authoritarian state", referring to the previous period of authoritarian rule under Salvatore Riina. Ingroia says that Provenzano "established a kind of directorate of about four to seven men who met very infrequently, only when necessary, when there were strategic decisions to make."The Mafia after Provenzano-peace or all-out war?
Reuters, 12 April 2006. According to Ingroia, "in an organization like the Mafia, a boss has to be one step above the others otherwise it all falls apart. It all depends on if he can manage consensus and if the others agree or rebel." For Ingroia, Provenzano "guaranteed a measure of stability because he had the authority to quash internal disputes." According to Sergio Lari, deputy chief prosecutor of Palermo, "Either the directorate can choose a successor or we could again be in for a fiery time." Ingroia said that it was unlikely that there would be an all-out war over who would fill Provenzano's shoes. He said: "Right now I don't think that's probable." Of the two possible successors, Ingroia thought Lo Piccolo was the more likely heir to the Mafia throne, saying: "He's from Palermo and that's still the most powerful Mafia stronghold."

After the Lo Piccolo arrest

After the arrest of Salvatore Lo Piccolo in November 2007, Messina Denaro is generally viewed as one of the possible leading Mafia bosses.'Vincere Cosa nostra? Arresti e lavoro'. Intervista al magistrato De Lucia
, Ateneonline, 20 November 2007 According to Antonio Ingroia, one of the prosecutors of the Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia (DDA) of Palermo, the main leading figures in Cosa Nostra at the moment, Messina Denaro,

Giovanni Riina Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

Pietro Tagliavia Pietro Tagliavia (born in 1978) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. Despite his young age, he is considered to be one of the upcoming leading Mafiosi of Cosa Nostra in Palermo.Gianni Nicchi Giovanni "Gianni" Nicchi (; born 16 February 1981 in Turin) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. Despite his young age – he is nicknamed ("the little boy") – he is considered to be one of the leading mafiosi of Cosa Nostra in Palermo. He was on ...

, are still too young to be recognized as leading bosses of the organisation.Lo Piccolo, il fautore della strategia della "rimmersione"
, Intervista ad Antonio Ingroia, Antimafia Duemila n. 56, Anno VII° Numero 5 – 2007 The police believes that Messina Denaro is hiding out close to his family home at

, and is moving between safe houses. On 15 November 2009,

was arrested in a small town near Trapani having been convicted in absentia for murder and other crimes, facing three life sentences.Sicilian police arrest Mafia boss
BBC News, 15 November 2009 On 18 November 2008, Italian authorities seized €700 million in assets from the supermarket king of Sicily, Giuseppe Grigoli, traceable to Messina Denaro. The assets include 12 businesses, 220 real estate holdings - including villas and apartment blocks - and 133 land holdings for a total of 60 hectares.Mafia banker's assets seized
, Reuters, 18 November 2008
La Repubblica, 19 November 2008 Grigoli was arrested in December 2007 after authorities found documents linking him to Messina Denaro in the hideout where Provenzano was arrested in April 2006. Grigoli has the exclusive franchise for western Sicily of the

SPAR SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

supermarket chain.Italian police arrest supermarket owner suspected of Mafia links
International Herald Tribune, 20 December 2007
La Repubblica, 20 December 2007 "This is one of the most important operations in recent years," according to Palermo prosecutor

Roberto Scarpinato The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

. Investigators believe that through his supermarkets Grigoli was able to launder illicit profits for Cosa Nostra and give a legal cover to mafiosi. "Having conquered the food distribution market, Grigoli was able to give jobs to hundreds of people close to Cosa Nostra or recommended by the Mafia," Scarpinato said. From evidence discovered on tiny paper-scrap messages found in the hut where Provenzano was arrested, Messina Denaro "knew to the last comma the accounts of Grigoli's supermarkets", he added.Police seize assets of 'mafia banker'
''The Daily Telegraph'', 19 November 2008

More assets seized

In January 2010, police seized construction companies, villas, shops and vehicles worth some €550 million from a western Sicilian construction magnate, Rosario Cascio, believed to be one of the main bankrollers and money launderers for Messina Denaro. Together with €700 million in assets taken from supermarket magnate Giuseppe Grigoli at the end of 2008 and €200 million from construction tycoon Francesco Pecora in November 2009. In total €1.4 billion were seized, which is seen as a clear reminder of the deep-rooted economic power of Messina Denaro.Mafia seizure hits Cosa nostra head
ANSA, 27 January 2009 In September 2010, police seized a record amount of assets worth €1.5 billion from a Sicilian businessman Vito Nicastri accused of working with Messina Denaro. He had invested in wind and solar energy sources, as a way of laundering money.Italy makes 'record' Mafia asset seizure
BBC News, 14 September 2010 The Italian police are applying a new strategy to try to capture Messina Denaro, arresting scores of his underlings and seizing millions of euros in assets. "The circle is closing around the No.1 fugitive," Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said. Palermo Chief Prosecutor Francesco Messineo added that the aim of the strategy against Messina Denaro was to "dry up the water he swims in".Biggest-ever Mob seizure from man 'close to No.1'
, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, 14 September 2010 With the arrest of Gerlandino Messina, the alleged boss of

Agrigento Agrigento (; scn, Girgenti or ; grc, Ἀκράγας, translit=Akrágas; la, Agrigentum or ; ar, كركنت, Kirkant, or ''Jirjant'') is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. It was one o ...

, on 23 October 2010 in Favara, Agrigento province, the circle around Messina Denaro tightens even more, as notes addressed specifically to Messina Denaro to discuss territorial division will provide clues to his whereabouts and recent activities.Mafia, catturato il boss di Agrigento; in manette Gerlandino Messina
Corriere della Sera, 23 October 2010

Arrest attempts and later events

On 15 March 2010, his brother Salvatore Messina Denaro was arrested along with 18 others in operation "Golem 2". They were part of a network surrounding the Mafia boss, and were charged with organising Messina Denaro's secret correspondence in order to help him remain on the run. Other charges include mafia association, corruption and protection rackets. On 19 May 2011, an attempt to arrest Messina Denaro failed. Police surrounded a manor farm ten minutes from his hometown Castelvetrano. They were tipped by the secret service ''

Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna The Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna (Italian for "Internal Information and Security Agency"), commonly known as AISI, is the security agency of Italy. The AISI is the successor of the Servizio per le Informazioni e la Sicurezza Democrat ...

'' which had provided useful information for the previous arrests of Mafia bosses Giuseppe Falsone and Gerlandino Messina. However, there was no trace of Messina Denaro.Messina Denaro, blitz dopo la soffiata degli 007; ma nella masseria il superlatitante non c'è
La Repubblica, 20 May 2011 In 2012, though still at large, Messina Denaro was one of five people sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the murder of Giuseppe Di Matteo. On 13 December 2013, Messina Denaro's sister, Patrizia Messina Denaro, was arrested along with several other mafia associates in a serious blow to Messina Denaro by Italian police. On 17 April 2018, she was sentenced to 14 years in prison for

mafia association 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 ...

, external competition, and attempted extortion. In December 2014, there was a mention of Italian police coming close to apprehending Messina Denaro after they made an estimated €20 million seizure of his assets in the form of valuable olive groves in

. Wiretaps had revealed Messina Denaro was receiving funding from the Fountain of Gold olive oil business based in the region. In December 2017, over 200 Italian police officers executed search warrants at properties owned by around 30 Italian mafiosi in and near Castelvetrano, his hometown, in the search for Messina Denaro. In November 2018, Italian businessman Carmelo Patti, accused of working with Messina Denaro, had €1.5 billion of his assets seized by Italian police on the basis that they related to the proceeds of crime. On 20 October 2020, Messina Denaro was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by the

Corte d'Assise The Corte d'Assise ( en, Court of Assizes) is an Italian court composed of two professional, stipendiary judges or ''giudici togati''; and six lay judges or ''giudici popolari'', who are selected from the people. The Corte d'Assise has jurisdictio ...

for having been one of the instigators of the

Capaci bombing The Capaci bombing ( it, Strage di Capaci) was a terror attack by the Sicilian Mafia that took place on 23 May 1992 on Highway A29, close to the junction of Capaci, Sicily. It killed magistrate Giovanni Falcone, his wife Francesca Morvillo ...

and

Via D'Amelio bombing The via D'Amelio bombing ( it, Strage di via D'Amelio) was a terrorist attack by the Sicilian Mafia, which took place in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, on 19 July 1992. It killed Paolo Borsellino, the anti-mafia Italian magistrate, and five members of ...

. On 12 August 2021,

TG1 ''TG1'' (''Telegiornale 1'') is the flagship television newscast produced by Rai 1, the main channel of state-owned Italian public broadcaster RAI. It is the longest running program in the history of television in Italy as it has been broadcast ...

released the first ever voice recording of Messina Denaro. The recording originated from an archived cassette tape of the Court of Marsala until it was recovered by local Anti-Mafia associations and news outlets. The recording dated from 18 March 1993, taking place in the court of Marsala regarding a murder case in

Partanna Partanna is a town and ''comune'' in province of Trapani, south-western Sicily, southern Italy. It is south-east of Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on t ...

. Messina Denaro testified in the case, and almost three months later was deemed a fugitive. On 10 September 2021, there was a Dutch news report that Messina Denaro might have been arrested two days earlier while in a restaurant in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

, after receiving a tip from Italian authorities. However, Dutch prosecutors confirmed later that it was not Denaro but instead a man from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. Following this incident, severe criticism was directed toward Italian authorities. On 30 September 2021,

TG2 ''TG2'' (''TeleGiornale 2'') is the brand for the news programmes of Rai 2, the Italian state-owned television channel. The programmes are shown several times throughout the day — domestically on Rai 2, and across Europe, Africa, Americas, As ...

revealed the first known video of Messina Denaro. The sighting came from a security camera in the area of the Valle del Belice in December 2009. The footage shows a

Mitsubishi Pajero The Further information on the Mitsubishi P ...

driving through the valley, revealing at least two occupants. The front passenger is supposedly Messina Denaro. In October 2021, Italian authorities launched a manhunt across Sicily.

Writings

* - via
archive.is
*Marco Bova (2021). Matteo Messina Denaro, latitante di Stato. Inchieste (in italian). Roma: Ponte alle Grazie. p. 336 ISBN 8833318427. - vi
amazon.com

References

External links

Il "papa" della nuova mafia
by Rino Giacalone, ''Libera Informazione'', 3 December 2008

''Forbes''

, di Peter Gomez e Marco Lillo, ''L'Espresso'', 12 April 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Messina Denaro, Matteo 1962 births Living people People from Castelvetrano Sicilian Mafiosi Capo dei capi Fugitives wanted by Italy Fugitives wanted on murder charges Fugitives wanted on organised crime charges Italian crime bosses