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'Ndrangheta and the rise of Rosario Fiorillo, "the bloodiest of the Piscopisani"
Extortion, shooting and Moscato's alleged hatred. The reasons for the abbreviated sentence against Piscopio's 'ndrina have been made public
Published: 20/09/2024 – 7:12
VIBO VALENTIA «The bloodthirsty of the Piscopisans , attracted by the sight of blood, always ready for violent and brutal actions». The judges of the Court of Appeal of Catanzaro repeat the words of the collaborator of justice Bartolomeo Arena to confirm the conviction for mafia association inflicted in the first degree on Rosario Fiorillo . In the abbreviated Replacement trial, the trial against the Piscopio 'ndrina, the judging panel presided over by President Loredana De Franco, slightly remodulated the sentence, but in fact confirmed the sentence of 19 years and 1 month , compared to the 19 years and 4 months of the first-instance sentence dating back to 2021. For the judges, as can be read in the reasons filed in recent days, the sentence of the Court of Vibo Valentia holds up, which identifies Fiorillo as the " promoter and creator " of the Piscopisani gang, the clan that had attempted to "replace" the Mancuso clan in the Vibo Valentia area.
The figure of Rosario Fiorillo
With the sentence of January 25, 2023, the judges confirmed the convictions for 10 defendants , overturning instead that of Michele Fiorillo alias “Zarrillo” , acquitted in the first instance and sentenced on appeal to 12 years. The sentence was adjusted, but by only 3 months, for Rosario Fiorillo, acquitted on two counts. Accused in Replacement on various counts of mafia association, extortion, usury, Fiorillo already has a definitive sentence of 30 years in prison for the murder of Fortunato Patania in 2011. Investigators consider him to be at the top of the Piscopisani clan, based on the statements of collaborators of justice, including Bartolomeo Arena and Raffaele Moscato, another member of the clan originally from the hamlet on the outskirts of Vibo. The appeal of the defense lawyers focused precisely on the latter.
For the defenders, Moscato's "hatred" towards Fiorillo was due to a debt
Moscato had referred to Fiorillo as the one who, as a "promoter of the gang", would have " contributed to the planning and planning of murders ", as well as to the management of extortion , damage and robberies . For the defense, these are statements due to the collaborator's resentment for a debt to him that the defendant never paid. The appeal was rejected by the judges, who emphasized that the loan " is not proven in any way " and therefore does not undermine Moscato's credibility. The sentence also confirmed the mafia aggravation, since the crimes were committed "in the interests of the "Piscopisani" gang" as well as with mafia methods.
Extortion and the shooting of the entrepreneur
Among the charges for which the lawyers' recollection was rejected was also the extortion request to the detriment of the Cooperativa Costruzioni Calabrese, an episode for which the defense had emphasized Fiorillo's absence from Calabria during that period. For the judges, however, the distance from the Calabrian territory " is completely irrelevant since Fiorillo is not accused of being the material executor of the act of intimidation, but rather of being the creator and promoter, together with Battaglia Rosario, of the extortion". The same outcome for the shooting of a businessman from the Vibo Valentia area , an episode for which Moscato accuses Fiorillo of being the instigator. The judges emphasize how the same collaborator of justice is "the material executor of the facts" and, therefore, more reliable than Andrea Mantella who had not indicated Fiorillo among the executors or the instigators. The defense's theses regarding two drug dealing episodes were accepted. According to investigators, the drugs found on two subjects could be traced back to Fiorillo. The accusation was contested by the defense and the judges of the Court of Appeal, who recognized that "there is no proof" that the doses were given to the subjects by the defendant. An acquittal on the two charges that led to a "discount" of three months on the total sentence, sentencing Fiorillo to 19 years and 1 month in prison. ( Ma.Ru.
