organized crime

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Greek Mafia Boss Gunned Down
Greek Mafia Boss
Gunned Down

Greek Mafia Boss Gunned Down

Vangelis Zambounis' killers fired more than 90 shots

(Newser) - Greek organized crime boss Vangelis Zambounis survived an attempt to kill him in 2018 when a would-be assassin's Kalashnikov jammed. He wasn't so lucky early Sunday morning, when he was killed by a hail of more than 90 bullets from a better-functioning Kalashnikov. The 44-year-old was gunned down...

Verdict in Mobster Trial Took Almost 2 Hours to Read

Italian court finds 207 members, associates of 'Ndrangheta crime group guilty

(Newser) - After a trial that was huge in length and significance as well as sheer size, more than 200 people connected to Italy's 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate were found guilty on Monday and sentenced to a total of more than 2,200 years in prison. Some 207 people were found...

Goodfellas Mobster Dies at 86
Goodfellas Mobster Dies at 86
obituary

Goodfellas Mobster Dies at 86

Vincent Asaro was accused of helping to plan the real-life 1978 Lufthansa heist

(Newser) - In a memorable scene in Goodfellas, "Layla" plays as the bodies of numerous mobsters killed to cover up the 1978 Lufthansa heist are shown. But Vincent Asaro, long known for sticking to the Mafia's "code of silence," was not among them. Asaro, a close associate of...

Just Months After Capture, the 'Last Godfather' Dies
Mob Boss 'Took
With Him His Secrets'
OBITUARY

Mob Boss 'Took With Him His Secrets'

Sicilian 'last Godfather' Matteo Messina Denaro, 61, dies just months after his capture

(Newser) - An infamous Italian mob boss who was captured in January after 30 years on the run has died. Officials tell Reuters that 61-year-old Matteo Messina Denaro, known as the "last godfather," has succumbed to colon cancer, after falling into a coma on Friday from which he never emerged....

Police Spot Mob Fugitive Among Soccer Fans

Italian suspect is picked up in Corfu after celebrating hometown team's title

(Newser) - Hometown passion for this year's soccer champions from Naples has betrayed the hideout of a longtime crime fugitive from Italy, who was captured while riding a motor scooter on a Greek island, Italian police said Saturday. Naples-based Carabinieri paramilitary police said the man, who was on Italy's list...

Cops: Pizza-Maker in France Wasn't What He Seemed

Mob suspect Edgardo Greco, tied to Italy's 'ndrangheta, found after 16 years on the run

(Newser) - Police in southeastern France have arrested a convicted murderer linked to Italy's most powerful organized-crime group, the 'ndrangheta, after he eluded authorities for 16 years, Interpol and Italian police said on Thursday. Italy's ANSA news agency reported that the 63-year-old had been working for the past three...

He Trolled Greta Thunberg. Days Later, an Arrest
He Trolled
Greta Thunberg.
Days Later,
an Arrest
UPDATED

He Trolled Greta Thunberg. Days Later, an Arrest

Influencer Andrew Tate, brother in custody in Romania on rape, human trafficking charges

(Newser) - This story has been updated to clarify how the pizza boxes came into play. Earlier this week, climate change activist Greta Thunberg got into it online with Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer, TikTok star, and controversial influencer who, until recently, had been kicked off most social media platforms. Now, a...

In Ecuador, a 'Declaration of Open War'

Murders of 5 police officers on Tuesday attributed to criminal gangs

(Newser) - Five police officers were killed in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil on Tuesday, including two shot dead in their patrol car, in what some say is evidence of "criminal rule," per the Guardian . Officials described nine attacks in the city in apparent response to the transfer of hundreds...

The Hit That Killed Mobster Was Ordered by His Own Son

Anthony Zottola was found guilty, as was the man who actually fired the shots

(Newser) - Update: The son of a mobster was on Wednesday convicted of ordering the hit that killed his own father. Anthony Zottola, the 44-year-old son of Bonanno crime family associate Sylvester Zottola, was found guilty of conspiracy, murder-for-hire, the murder of his father, and the attempted murder of his older brother,...

Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Shot Dead on Honeymoon

Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci was killed in Colombia hours after pregnancy announcement

(Newser) - A Paraguayan prosecutor known for fighting against organized crime was shot dead Tuesday while vacationing in Colombia on his honeymoon, hours after his wife posted a pregnancy announcement. "The best wedding gift ... the approaching life that is a testimony to the sweetest love," read the caption of the...

Feds Announce Huge Case Against Mexican Mafia

21 of 31 suspects were already in prison

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors announced a sweeping racketeering case Wednesday aimed at dismantling the leadership of the Mexican Mafia that controlled street gangs in part of southern California. The indictment unsealed in US District Court against three members of the group and 28 associates includes allegations of two murders, six attempted killings,...

Japan Sentences Yakuza Mobster to Death

Sentence for Kudo-kai kingpin Nomura Satoru is the first of its kind

(Newser) - The head of one of Japan's most violent organized crime groups has been sentenced to death by hanging. Nomura Satoru, leader of a Yakuza crime syndicate based in the southern city of Fukuoka, was convicted of ordering four attacks, one of which killed the former chief of a fishing...

2 Swedish Rappers Jailed After Gang Trial

Top soccer player was also among 26 convicted

(Newser) - After one of the biggest gang-related trials Sweden has ever seen, two rappers and a former member of the country's national soccer team were among 26 people to receive prison sentences Wednesday. Chart-topping rapper Yasin Mahmoud, who was named Artist of the Year earlier this year at an event...

It's a 'Criminal Takedown Like We Have Never Seen'

More than 800 arrested around the world, thanks to FBI's encrypted messaging app

(Newser) - The app was lauded by criminals around the world, who promoted it "for its absolute reliability," says Jannine van den Berg, chief constable of the Central Unit of the Dutch police, per the Washington Post . "But nothing was further from the truth." The encrypted messaging app,...

Alleged Mobster Covered His Face on YouTube Videos, Forgot His Tattoos

Tats were visible on cooking show of alleged 'Ndrangheta gangster from Italy, hiding in DR

(Newser) - Come for the pasta making, stay for the arrest. Since 2014, Marc Feren Claude Biart, a purported member of Italy's infamous 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate, has been on the run from authorities in his home country after allegedly taking part in a Dutch cocaine trafficking operation. The BBC reports...

Italy Launches Biggest Mob Trial Since 1980s
Massive Mafia Trial Is
'One for the History Books'
THE RUNDOWN

Massive Mafia Trial Is 'One for the History Books'

More than 300 alleged 'Ndrangheta members are on trial in Calabria, Italy

(Newser) - It's the biggest Mafia trial Italy has seen in decades—with the added challenge of COVID-19 precautions. The "maxi-trial" of hundreds of members of the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate began Wednesday in a fortified 1,000-capacity courtroom in Calabria, the heart of the group's territory, the Guardian...

Singer Embodied '50s Innocence but Ran With Gangster

Phyllis McGuire made it big with her sisters

(Newser) - Phyllis McGuire, the last surviving member of the three singing McGuire Sisters who topped the charts in the 1950s, has died. She was 89. The lead singer and younger sister of Dorothy and Christine McGuire died Tuesday in Las Vegas, the AP reports. A cause of death was not provided....

Mob Allegedly Plotted to Kill Mayor, Her Family

Virginia Raggi says she's become a target of organized crime

(Newser) - The mayor of Rome announced Monday that the mob was plotting to kill her and her family, Reuters reports. Virginia Raggi said in a pre-recorded TV interview that she has been fighting powerful organized crime families that operate in the city, and that the Casamonica family targeted her after she...

19 Arrests Made in Investigation of Vicious Tow Truck Turf War

Cops say organized crime dominates industry in Toronto area

(Newser) - The tow truck industry in the Toronto area has broken down into a "true Wild West show" dominated by organized crime, police say. Police said Tuesday that 200 charges were filed and 19 arrests were made in an investigation of turf wars between rival operators that have "resulted...

Men With Triad Links Held Over Hong Kong Attack

6 detained over vicious attack on protesters

(Newser) - Hong Kong police have detained six men, some with links to triads, following a violent attack on pro-democracy protesters at a subway station that saw dozens injured. Senior police official Chan Tin-chu said Monday the men, aged between 24 and 54, were held for "unlawful assembly" and are being...

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