Vincenzo Pipino
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Vincenzo Pipino (born 22 July 1943), also known as Encio, is an Italian thief from
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
whose exploits earned him the nickname "the gentleman thief". He is the first person to successfully steal from the
Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale; vec, Pałaso Dogal) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme auth ...
, and has been responsible for some of the most sensational art thefts in the city. During his lifetime, he has committed over 3,000 thefts at museums, galleries, banks, and private residences, 50 thefts of jewelry shops, and stole thousands of kilograms of gold throughout Europe. His activities have resulted in over 300 complaints to police, he has been arrested numerous times, and has received 15 sentences totaling over 25 years in prison. He once escaped from a penitentiary in
Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...
, Switzerland. He has stated that he knows he is destined to die incarcerated.


Early life

Born on 22 July 1943 and raised in the Venetian sestiere of Castello, Pipino is the eldest of five siblings. His mother is named Cesira, and his father Antonio was from the town of
San Nicandro Garganico San Nicandro Garganico (Neapolitan language, Pugliese: ) known until 1999 as Sannicandro Garganico) is a small city and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. This city is part of the Gargano National Park T ...
of
Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...
. His father was a
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
captain, whose income after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
was at times insufficient to support the family. At school as a six-year-old, he sat at the back of the class because the teacher reserved the front seats for children of the siori. Famished one day, he punched another child during an altercation, and he was subsequently placed in observation in a psychiatric ward of a medical institution. His mother, opposed to such treatment of her child, removed him from the institution and found work for him in a mortuary near Santa Maria Formosa, where he dusted coffins and dressed the corpses. Pipino began stealing when eight years old, by which time he was working as an errand boy at a bakery and would occasionally purloin a pastry when hungry. His first theft was a 50-litre aluminum
milk churn A milk churn is a tall, conical or cylindrical container for the transportation of milk. It is sometimes referred to as a milk can. History The usage of the word 'churn' was retained for describing these containers, although they were not thems ...
which he had to roll along the alleys; it was crushed and sold to a junk dealer. In a 2010 interview, he said that he stole a 30-kilogram bag of sugar from the
Italian Navy "Fatherland and Honour" , patron = , colors = , colors_label = , march = ( is the return of soldiers to their barrack, or sailors to their ship after a ...
while making a delivery of bread to the Venetian Arsenal. By the age of ten, he would sometimes steal croissants off tables at
café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
s in
Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; vec, Piasa San Marco), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as ''la Piazza'' ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (exc ...
. Inquisitive by nature, he would explore the city on his own, and at other times lead his siblings through its many alleys. When he was thirteen, his mother, worried about his continued habit of thievery, invented a story about "La Gamba d'Oro" ("The Golden Leg"). It was about the ghost of a woman who had fallen in their apartment building's stairwell and died after impaling herself on a nail. She said the woman's ghost haunted the stairwell and the leg that caused her fall would glow, haunting children who did not arrive home in time. As a result, Pipino developed a
fear of the dark Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among children and, to a varying degree, adults. A fear of the dark does not always concern darkness itself; it can also be a fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. Some degree of ...
, and he learned to scale the facade of the apartment building to avoid the stairwell. Because of his newfound fear of darkness, he resolved to improve his skills so he could operate during the day. His first major theft was at the beaches of the
Grand Hotel des Bains The Grand Hotel des Bains is a former luxury hotel on the Lido of Venice in northern Italy. Built in 1900 to attract wealthy tourists, it is remembered amongst other things for Thomas Mann's stay there in 1911, which inspired his novella ''Death ...
at the
Lido di Venezia The Lido, or Venice Lido ( it, Lido di Venezia), is an barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy; it is home to about 20,400 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido late August/early September. Geography Th ...
when he was fourteen. He followed a rich American tourist who, in a moment of distraction in a beach hut, was unaware that Pipino had stolen money from his shirt pocket. To Pipino's misfortune, the large sum of money required a signature to exchange at the bank, and he was later arrested and served seven months in jail. By the age of fifteen, he had become an adept climber. He would sometimes climb to a window of the
Teatro Malibran The Teatro Malibran, known over its lifetime by a variety of names, beginning with the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo (or Crisostomo) after the nearby church,Lynn 2005, pp. 101—103 is an opera house in Venice which was inaugurated in 1678 with a ...
, let himself into the theatre, and set up a makeshift ticket booth at the theatre's back door, selling tickets cheaply to children who couldn't afford the theatre's prices. In 1968, he married a woman named Carla who worked as a glassmaker in
Murano Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about north of Venice and measures about across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures). It is famous for its glass making. It was on ...
, and later as a maid. They have never had children.


Art and jewelry theft

According to journalist and author Stefano Lorenzetto in his 2013 book ''Hic sunt leones'', Pipino has committed over 3,000 robberies at museums, galleries, banks, and private residences in his lifetime, many of which were of palaces along the Grand Canal or around Piazza San Marco. He also committed 50 thefts of jewelry shops, and stole about 3,000 kilograms of gold throughout Europe. He never stole watches or other items being repaired, as he did not want to affect the income and livelihood of those from whom he stole. He had a personal code of conduct by which he would not use violence or
blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
. He was a careful and considerate thief, ensuring not to damage the items he stole, and to not leave a mess for his victims; for example, he would empty sugar bowls onto a kitchen towel instead of simply dumping its contents. Art theft was his specialty, and he ensured that none of the works left Venice and that they would be returned to their owner for a
ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...
or other considerations. He would also steal objects of personal value to the family, such as heirlooms, which would also be ransomed to the owners, and clothing he found appealing, particularly cashmere. Because of his fear of the dark, most of his thefts were committed during the day, to the discomfort of his accomplices. Pipino had a relationship with the Venetian police as a result of his heists, including with the chief of the special investigation unit Antonio Palmosi, who would often request to meet Pipino for coffee after a notable theft. Pipino offered to recover important items as a civic duty, accepting tokens of appreciation offered by the victims via negotiation with Palmosi and the police. He has said that there is reciprocal respect between him and the police, but that there are no favours if he is caught. In 1992, he was commissioned for the equivalent of 200 million Italian lire to steal all
Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 26 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father ...
paintings from the Museo Correr. During the heist, he asked his accomplice who had contracted them, and was told "Arkan", a
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
he recognized as that of
Željko Ražnatović Željko Ražnatović (, ; 17 April 1952 – 15 January 2000), better known as Arkan (), was a Serbian mobster, politician, sports administrator, paramilitary commander and head of the Serb paramilitary force called the Serb Volunteer Guard du ...
. Certain that Ražnatović would not return the artworks to the museum, he told the accomplice he had to make an urgent phone call, and called the police. He stole the 1730 Canaletto painting ''Il fonteghetto della farina'' from the Giustiniani palace in 1998. It was property of the Falck family, descendants of the founders of the
Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
company Falck Industries. He infamously stole from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection twice in 1971.


Doge's Palace

He is the first person to successfully steal from the
Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale; vec, Pałaso Dogal) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme auth ...
, once the residence of the
Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 a ...
and since 1923 a museum operated by Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. One day in 1991 while reading manuscripts at the Biblioteca Marciana to learn about art commissioned by Venetian aristocracy in the past, and to identify potential targets for theft, he encountered Andrea Zammattio, a member of the
Mala del Brenta The Nuova Mala del Brenta (), also known as Mafia veneta ("Venetian Mafia") or Mafia del Piovese, is an organized crime group based in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, north-eastern Italy. The criminal organization's structure is like a ...
, who told Pipino "the president" had sent him to request a favour of him. The violent
organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
group was headed by Felice Maniero, known by the moniker ''Faccia d'angelo'' ("Angel face"). Maniero, under constant police surveillance and seeking leverage against them, wanted to steal
fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
from
Ca' Rezzonico Ca' Rezzonico () is a palazzo and art museum on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro ''sestiere'' of Venice, Italy. It is a particularly notable example of the 18th century Venetian baroque and rococo architecture and interior decoration, and displa ...
to ransom in exchange for reduced surveillance and the release of his cousin from prison. Pipino's role was to identify target paintings and to organize the heist. Worried that Venetian museums and galleries would respond to such a heist with increased security, making future thefts more difficult for him, two days later he proposed an alternate plan to one of Maniero's henchman in which Pipino would steal an artwork alone. When asked which piece he would steal, he replied "Just read the newspapers", and convinced the henchman by stating that "the news will be heard worldwide". On 9 October, Pipino entered the Doge's Palace and joined a tour group. As they passed over the Bridge of Sighs into the dark halls of the "New Prisons", Pipino intentionally lagged behind the group, and entered undetected into one of the cells and closed its door, where he waited until night. He timed the rounds of the night guards, who passed by the cell in 45-minute intervals, and soon after the guard passed his cell at 2:00 in the morning he left his cell and returned to the palace via the bridge, entering the "Sala di Censori". In that room was the ''Madonna col bambino'', a work symbolic of "the power of the Venetian state" painted in the early 1500s by a member of the
Vivarini Vivarini is the surname of a family of painters from Murano (Venice), who produced a great quantity of work in Venice and its neighborhood in the 15th century, leading on to that phase of the school which is represented by Carpaccio and the Bellin ...
. Pipino took the painting, covered it with a blanket, and left the palace by a side door. The lead story in the local newspaper was ''Colpo a Palazzo Ducale: Un furto facile, facile'' ("Shock at Doge's Palace: An easy, easy theft"). By this time, the painting was already in the possession of the Mala del Brenta, who also stole the jaw bone of
Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic Church, Catholic priesthood (Cath ...
from the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua. When summoned by Palmosi, he was threatened with special surveillance, which would prevent Pipino from associating with anyone having a criminal record, including most of his friends and accomplices. Pipino told Palmosi the painting would be returned within 20 days. There are inconsistent stories about subsequent events, but the painting was recovered and the police held a press conference on 7 November announcing that an anonymous tip led to its recovery. Maniero negotiated the return of St. Anthony's jaw bone to the basilica in exchange for the release of his cousin.


Informant

In an interview with Maurizio Dianese, a reporter for '' Il Gazzettino'', Pipino recounted events during an incarceration in the mid 1990s. He said that police chief Arnaldo La Barbera of the
Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
,
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
police met Pipino 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 ...
in October 1992, where Pipino was incarcerated and being investigated for drug trafficking. La Barbera had Pipino placed in a cell with Vincenzo Scarantino for about one week to be an informant for the police, in exchange for a payment between 100 and 200 million lire (approximately
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
80,000 to $160,000) and having Rome police overlook the drug charges against him. He was also promised a transfer to Carcere di Santa Maria Maggiore in Santa Croce, Venice, which was executed after his services were rendered. La Barbera instructed Pipino to avoid discussions with Scarantino in their cell or in the hallways, a pretense to avoid
covert listening device A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, or wiretapping is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and ...
s; their discussions always occurred in the communal prison showers. In testimony at a trial in 2013, Pipino stated that there were listening devices in the prison cell which he disabled after several days in order to demonstrate he did not wish to be involved in the process. Pipino stated that Scarantino denied he was involved with the Massacre of Via D'Amelio, a targeted bombing in Palermo on 19 July 1992 that killed anti-mafia magistrate Paolo Borsellino and five members of his police escort. According to Pipino, he "fiercely denied" robbing the car used in the bombing. Scarantino told Pipino that he was investigated for involvement in the bombing only because he was brother-in-law of Salvatore Profeta, who had participated in the preparation of the car bomb. Scarantino became a pentito and sentenced to 18 years in prison for the massacre, and according to Pipino Scarantino's recanting of involvement had been concealed by La Barbera, who had told Pipino not to disclose information he learned in discussions with Scarantino to anyone other than La Barbera. Pipino states that La Barbera thus created the "falso pentito". Scarantino retracted his admission of guilt in 1995.


Credit card fraud

In August 2008, he was caught with two other people with two cloned credit cards. Two years later he was sentenced to one year and three months in jail. Pipino was arrested on the steps of the
Venezia Santa Lucia railway station Venezia Santa Lucia ( it, Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia) is the central station of Venice in the north-east of Italy. It is a terminus and located at the northern edge of Venice's historic city ( it, Centro storico). The station is one of Ven ...
on 23 June 2011 while delivering a package containing eight cloned credit cards to Mauro Zanetti. On 7 May 2012, he was sentenced to three years in prison. In 2013, Pipino was charged with credit card fraud by the public prosecutor of
Gorizia Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gorit ...
, a town at the foot of the
Julian Alps The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large pa ...
in
Friuli-Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...
bordering
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. He was accused of being the leader of a group that stole credit cards from tourists in the
Italian regions The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. U ...
of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and
Veneto Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona. Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...
, particularly those from the United States. Tourist credit cards were skimmed at Venetian restaurants, and these stolen credit card numbers were used to create cards with fake identities, which were used to buy
luxury goods In economics, a luxury good (or upmarket good) is a good for which demand increases more than what is proportional as income rises, so that expenditures on the good become a greater proportion of overall spending. Luxury goods are in contrast to n ...
. According to the Gorizia police department, from mid 2012 to February 2013 the group spent at least one million
Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
s using stolen credit cards. Pipino used the cloned credit cards in games rooms and casinos, purchasing
casino token Casino tokens (also known as casino or gaming chips, checks, cheques or poker chips) are small discs used in terms of currency in casinos. Colored metal, injection-molded plastic or compression molded clay tokens of various denominations are us ...
s, using a few on electronic gaming machines, then cashing out the remaining tokens. The group was put under investigation when a merchant complained of two individuals trying to use a fraudulent credit card to make a large purchase. They were found to be associated with a group that acquired
magnetic stripe The term digital card can refer to a physical item, such as a memory card on a camera, or, increasingly since 2017, to the digital content hosted as a virtual card or cloud card, as a digital virtual representation of a physical card. They share ...
codes involving over 100 individuals, organized by a smaller group of 20, and led by a group of five including Pipino. One of the members was his brother. The group made purchases in Slovenia and Italy, including
designer clothing Designer clothing is expensive luxury clothing considered to be high quality and haute couture for the general public, made by, or carrying the label of, a well-known fashion designer. Brands Designer clothing is not always created by the foun ...
, perfumes, high-end appliances,
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s,
laptop A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...
and
personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
s, watches, gifts, and meals. Pipino spent over
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
60 thousand on scratch-and-win cards over two months. Police issued 27 search warrants in Venice, Gorizia,
Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...
, and
Pordenone Pordenone (; Venetian and fur, Pordenon) is the main ''comune'' of Pordenone province of northeast Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The name comes from Latin ''Portus Naonis'', meaning 'port on the Noncello (Latin ''Naon'') River'. ...
, during which they seized fraudulent credit cards, card skimmers, and documents relating to the crimes. He was arrested on 27 March 2013, and released on 31 March with the requirement that he stay in Venice and register with the police daily. During a
pretrial hearing Within some criminal justice, criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing, preliminary examination, preliminary inquiry, evidentiary hearing or probable cause hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecuto ...
, he asked to leave Venice for Rome, ostensibly to meet with producers who wanted to adapt his book into a film.


Drug trafficking

Pipino was arrested at a boarding house near the Roma Termini railway station in Rome in 1992 on suspicion of organizing trafficking of
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
between Rome and Venice. He served eight years and three months for possession of 3 grams of drugs, which he denied having and to which he referred as an injustice. In a 1997 interview while nearing the end of his sentence, he stated "I am a good thief, not a drug dealer or trafficker." In 2004, an increased incidence of drug overdoses and violence by drug addicts on the Venetian island of Sacca Fisola led to the arrest of Pipino, who was suspected of organizing the drug trade between Rome and Venice. In the 2010s Pipino and other individuals, most of them over 60 years old, were put under surveillance for suspicion of involvement in
drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
. Referred to as "Vecchia Guardia" ("Old Guard"), the operation intercepted telephone calls from booths and caught several drug runners in the Venetian Lagoon returning from
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 ...
with a shipment of drugs. By March 2013, the Venetian Court of Appeal (Corte di Appello) sentenced him to 11 years in prison for drug trafficking. In November 2013, the Court of Cassation upheld the ruling by the Court of Appeal, denying Pipino's
appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...
of the sentence. Pipino has repeatedly stated he has had no dealings with
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
or heroin trafficking.


Legacy

His activities have resulted in over 300 complaints to police and 15 sentences totalling over 25 years in prison. He has been arrested numerous times, three times for flagrant criminal acts, twice in
Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
and once in
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, and has served time in prison in France, Germany, and Switzerland. He once escaped from Maison de sécurité élevée de la Plaine de l’Orbe, a penitentiary in
Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. While serving his prison sentences, he was variously incarcerated with
Francis Turatello Francesco Turatello (Asiago, 1944 – Nuoro, August 17, 1981) was an important Italian crime figure, and mob boss who operated during the 1970s mainly in the city of Milan. He was popularly known by his pseudonym Francis Turatello. His nickna ...
, Michele Zaza, Valentino Gionta, the Graviano brothers (
Giuseppe Graviano Giuseppe Graviano (; September 30, 1963) is an Italian Sicilian Mafia, 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 se ...
and
Filippo Graviano Filippo is an Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English name Philip, from the Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Philip" Retrieved on 23 January 2016. The female variant is Fili ...
),
Alberto Franceschini Alberto Franceschini (born 26 October 1947) is a founder and former leading member of the Italian far-left organization, the Red Brigades (''Brigate Rosse''), along with Renato Curcio, Margherita Cagol and Mario Moretti. Biography Franceschi ...
, as well as Vincenzo Scarantino. He also learned of others who had been incarcerated, but not simultaneously with his own incarceration, with whom he would later associate, including
Enrico De Pedis Enrico De Pedis (; 15 May 1954 − 2 February 1990) was an Italian gangster and one of the bosses of the Banda della Magliana, an Italian criminal organization based in the city of Rome, particularly active throughout the late 1970s until the earl ...
and
Antonio Spavone Antonio Spavone (born 2 June 1994) is an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur. Career Karting Spavone was born in Naples. He began karting in 2005 and raced primarily in his native Italy for the majority of this part of career, working his ...
. He also served time with Antonio Negri ("Toni") in
Rebibbia Rebibbia is an urban zone of Rome, Italy. It was located on the road Via Tiburtina on the north-east edge of the city. Administratively Rebibbia is part of both Ponte Mammolo quarter of Rome and Municipio IV of Rome. The suburb, first developed ...
in 1997 and 1998, who encouraged him to write and with whom he has remained friends. He taught himself law, and offered legal advice to detainees. By March 2006, out of prison for a year, he was receiving about 30 letters per day from inmates seeking help from the "sindacalista dei detenuti" ("
trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
ist of detainees") and had by then been involved for many years for the rights of prisoners. He views incarceration as social discrimination, and promotes
rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
to ensure that prisoners do not lose hope of one day reintegrating into society. He established a
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
account that he uses to reveal tricks of the trade, and to dissuade young people from adopting a lifestyle similar to his, stating that when near the end of life, "you will realize that you will lovingly squeeze between your hands an intimate nothingness" ("vi accorgerete di stringere fra le mani un affettuoso e intimo nulla"). In a 2010 interview with '' Il Giornale'', he said he was providing consulting services to the wealthy, teaching them how to protect their properties, for a fee of up to
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
2000. He says all home
security alarm A security alarm is a system designed to detect intrusion, such as unauthorized entry, into a building or other areas such as a home or school. Security alarms used in residential, commercial, industrial, and military properties protect against ...
systems have flaws, none will deter professional thieves, and that all
passive infrared sensor A passive infrared sensor (PIR sensor) is an electronic sensor that measures infrared (IR) light radiating from objects in its field of view. They are most often used in PIR-based motion detectors. PIR sensors are commonly used in security alarms ...
s and anti-intrusion devices can be circumvented. The newspaper ''Pordenone Oggi'' has likened him to fictional gentleman thief
Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin (French pronunciation: ʁsɛn lypɛ̃ is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazi ...
. When asked in an interview how he reconciled his activities with the seventh commandment ("
thou shalt not steal "Thou shalt not steal" is one of the Ten Commandments of the Jewish Torah (known to Christians as the first five books of the Old Testament), which are widely understood as moral imperatives by legal scholars, Jewish scholars, Catholic scholars ...
", per tradition of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ( la, Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a catechism promulgated for the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 1992. It aims to summarize, in book for ...
), he stated that he always respected the commandment, and that he had only emptied the pockets of those who had stolen before him. He resided in Giudecca before his arrest for credit card fraud in 2013. In a 2010 interview, he stated that he is "destined to die incarcerated" ("sono destinato a morire in carcere").


Works

Pipino is the author of two books. In 2010, his
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
''Rubare ai ricchi non è peccato'' ("Stealing from the rich is not a sin") was published by Biblioteca dell'Immagine. Its cover depicts a portion of Canaletto's ''Fonteghetto della farina'' that he stole in 1998. In October 2015, ''Memorie di un ladro filosofo. Quando il furto diventa un'arte'' was published by Milieu edizioni, Milano, in Banditi senza tempo, and features a portrait of Pipino photographed by Beatrice Mancini. * *


References


Sources

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Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pipino, Vincenzo Writers from Venice Art thieves Italian thieves Italian fraudsters 1943 births Living people