Giovanni Motisi
Giovanni Motisi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 January 1959 |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Other names | U Pacchiuni |
| Occupation | Crime boss |
| Predecessor | Matteo Motisi |
| Criminal status | Fugitive |
| Allegiance | Motisi Mafia clan / Cosa Nostra |
| Criminal charge | Murder Mafia association |
Giovanni Motisi (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni moˈtiːzi], Sicilian: [mʊˈtiːsɪ]; born 1 January 1959, in Palermo) also known as 'U Pacchiuni (Sicilian for 'The Fatman'), is a member of the Sicilian Mafia in Sicily from the Altarello neighbourhood in Palermo. He has been on the most wanted list of the Italian Ministry of the Interior since 1998.[1]
Criminal background
[edit]He succeeded his uncle Matteo Motisi as head of the Motisi Mafia clan and boss of the mandamento of Pagliarelli. He is considered to be one of the more powerful bosses of Palermo. He rose through the ranks as one of the killers for Totò Riina and his Corleonesi, but became close to Bernardo Provenzano when the latter took over the position of Riina as head of Cosa Nostra.[2][3] He has been a fugitive since 1993 and is wanted for Mafia association and murder.
He received a life sentence for the murder of the police officer Beppe Montana on 28 July 1985.[4] In March 2001, he escaped an attempt to arrest him.[5] In 2002 he was replaced as the capo mandamento of the Pagliarelli neighbourhood by Antonio Rotolo when the latter left prison, because as a fugitive he did not manage the Mafia family sufficiently.[4]
After the arrest of an older generation Mafia bosses – such as Bernardo Provenzano, Antonio Rotolo and Salvatore Lo Piccolo – in 2006 and 2007, Motisi, Pietro Tagliavia, Gianni Nicchi and Salvo Riina – the second-born son of boss of bosses Totò Riina – were considered to be the upcoming young Mafia bosses.[6] However, the whereabouts of Motisi are unknown. According to some observers, Motisi is dead, but the pentito Angelo Casano denies this and maintains that Motisi is hiding in Agrigento, in the south of Sicily.[7]
In February 2025 ,the italian weekly "Gente" published an article stating that Motisi died in a clinic of Cali, in Colombia. Italian authorities are trying to verify the news. [8].
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ (in Italian) Most wanted list of the Italian ministry of the Interior Archived 6 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (in Italian) La Mafia cerca il confronto con lo Stato Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Polizia e democrazia, September 2001
- ^ (in Italian) I sei colonnelli del superboss, La Repubblica, 28 August 2003
- ^ a b (in Italian) Motisi, latitante da undici anni: una primula rossa nell’ombra[permanent dead link], Giornale di Sicilia, 17 February 2009
- ^ (in Italian) Sfugge alla cattura il latitante Motisi, La Repubblica, 24 March 2001
- ^ (in Italian) I rampolli di Cosa Nostra in lotta per il comando, La Repubblica, 9 December 2009
- ^ (in Italian) Asse di ferro tra superlatitanti Raccuglia e Messina Denaro[permanent dead link], Sicilia on line, 19 February 2009
- ^ https://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2025/02/15/checks-in-colombia-on-alleged-death-of-mafioso-motisi_7554c3b0-28d3-4720-9fec-76f82abbbfef.html
External links
[edit]- (in Italian) Italian Ministry of the Interior wanted poster in PDF for Giovanni Motisi