The telegraph
Italian mobster caught on returning home for Easter lunch
The irresistible appeal of a luxurious Easter party in Sicily put a prominent mobster behind bars on Sunday after authorities arrested him when he returned from Brazil to the Mediterranean island to celebrate with his family. Considered by the authorities as the newly appointed “capo” of the Mafioso district of Pagliarelli, in the southeast of Palermo, Giuseppe Calvaruso, 44, has lived in Brazil for months, where the authorities say he delegated the affairs of the mafia to loyal subordinates . Easter in Sicily is one of the most important Catholic celebrations, with spectacular processions and sumptuous meals. After staying away from home for almost a year, Calvaruso planned a short stay to celebrate with his family, officials said, leaving Natal and stopping briefly in Paris before landing at Palermo’s Falcone Borsellino airport. He was discreetly detained on Easter Sunday by the Carabinieri police while waiting for his luggage at the baggage carousel. Anti-mafia prosecutors are accusing him and four other legalists who were also arrested, including his right-hand man in Palermo, Giovanni Caruso, 50, on charges of mafia association, extortion, aggression, kidnapping and fraud. The Sicilian mafia, known as Cosa Nostra, divides Palermo into eight local districts, including Pagliarelli, home to the city’s maximum security prison. Prosecutors say Calvaruso was named head of the Pagliarelli district after the oldest head of the Sicilian mafia, Settimo Mineo, 82, was sent to prison in December 2018. Considered a promising young chief for his ability to manage affairs authorities, officials say Calvaruso has maintained close ties with investors in Singapore ready to finance construction in Sicily’s tourism and hospitality sector. He was also charged with maintaining diplomatic ties with other district mafia leaders to negotiate and resolve disputes. But it was the difficult task of ensuring public order in his own district that ended up arresting him. Prosecutors say Calvaruso ordered a violent attack on a gang of thieves who committed several “unauthorized” robberies in his neighborhood. In one case, they say that a local retailer hit by thieves twice in a week delivered the video of the theft to the local chief, who identified the dishonest thieves and took them to a garage where they would have been brutally beaten in the presence of Calvaruso.