Misilmeri anotherone of those underrated towns of cosa nostra.


Misilmeri Extortion: Three Convictions on Appeal
by Editorial Staff

May 16, 2025

The Court of Appeal of Palermo sentenced Cosimo Sciarabba, son of the boss of Misilmeri Salvatore, to 13 years and 4 months, Alessandro Ravesi, his faithful collaborator, to 17 years, and Salvatore Baiamonte to 10 years and 4 months. A fourth defendant, Benedetto Badalamenti, died during the trial.

The three defendants allegedly asked for protection money from several entrepreneurs - some of whom, accompanied by the anti-racketeering association Addiopizzo to file a complaint, have joined the civil action - and also attempted to take control of several funeral services.

The traditional investigations of the Carabinieri were therefore joined by the reports of the five designated victims of extortion. The investigation that led to the arrest of the accused was also developed thanks to the footage taken with a cell phone by one of the oppressed entrepreneurs. After being approached for the request of "messa a posto" - the payment of the extortion to the clan of the area where some work was to be done -, one of the entrepreneurs managed to immortalize some moments of the negotiation with the request for the payment of the protection money. And the video ended up in the prosecution's records, which also relied on the statements of collaborators of justice, searches and seizures, images from the surveillance cameras of the area, environmental and telephone interceptions, checks on the movements of the suspects thanks to telephone records and position cells.