The requests for the four defendants who was contested by the mafia association went from 30 years for Pasquale Zagariconsidered the promoter of the mafia association, to the 20 of the three alleged participants. The first degree trial, however, ended with much more Blander penalties by virtue of the decision of the Palmi court to fulfill the four defendants from the mafia accusation.
This in a nutshell the most relevant part of the sentence issued yesterday evening by the Palmese judges regarding the process “Spes Contra Spem”born from the investigation coordinated by the DDA of Reggio Calabria against the Zagari-Fazzalari-Viola-Mario-Tallarida and Avignon of Taurianova gangs.
In detail, Pasquale Zagari (defended by the lawyer Antonino Napoli) has been recognized guilty of an extortion and for this sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, Antonio Alessi born in ’89 (Lawyers Guido Contestabile and Girolamo Curti) 4 years and six months, Francesco Avati (Lawyer Andrea Alvaro) 3 years and seven months, Rocco Leva (Alvaro lawyer) 2 years and four months, Mario Pezzano (Lawyers Mario Santambrogio and Maria Teresa Caccamo) 2 years.
They were acquitted by the Court of Palmi Antonino Alessi ’48 (lawyer Domenico Bellocco), Maria Cento (Bellocco), Girolamo Russo (Lawyer Pasquale Loiacono), Antonio Reitano (Contestable and Curti), Aurelio Reitano (lawyer Francesco Cardone), Giuseppe Cannizzaro (Contestable and Curti), Giuseppe Deraco (Bellocco).
All the defendants were accused, in various capacities, of mafia association, extortion, illegal possession of weapons even from war, arbitrary exercise of their reasons, replacement of person, also scam aggravated by the mafia modalities, having taken part or in any case favored the ‘ndrangheta in its Taurianovese articulation.
The investigative activity called “Spes Contra Spem” was launched by the Carabinieri Company of Taurianova in June 2020, under the coordination of the Anti -Mafia Prosecutor of Reggio Calabria and supported, among other things, by the testimonies of some entrepreneurs victims of extortion. The genesis of the investigation is represented by the collection of some information, which made it assumed that some entrepreneurs would have been victims of harassment and extortion by exponents of local organized crime.
The development of investigations would have made it possible to identify some victims who admitted harassment and extortion requests. On this the requests of the accusation were confirmed by the Court, but not for the mafia association.