Mafia Overlord Toto Riina Hit by Death Threat
By Umberto Bacchi , February 24, 2014 19:23 PM


Jailed Italian Mafia boss Toto Riina was sent a threatening letterReuters
Italy's most infamous Mafia boss, Salvatore "Toto" Riina, has found himself in the unusual position of receiving one.

The 83-year-old jailed boss was sent a letter warning him to keep quiet after he was taped talking to a fellow inmate about an ongoing trial.

"Shut that damn mouth," read the letter, which was seized by prison authorities. "Remember that your family is free. We'll take care of the rest."

The letter was signed "Armed Falange", a name that was used by diverse terrorist groups in the early 1990s and was later taken over by the mafia, which used it to claim responsibility for its murders.

In recent months Riina, who is serving a life sentence in Milan's Opera prison, was taped discussing with Apulia mafia boss Alberto Lorusso a trial centring on an alleged truce between the government and Cosa Nostra.

The boss of bosses, who is one of the accused at the trial, was recorded as vowing mafia vengeance against the team of prosecutors led by Nino Di Matteo.

"We can't forget this this, Di Matteo," Riina was recorded as saying. "Corleone does not forget."

Di Matteo and his colleagues allege that exponents of the Italian authorities secretly struck a deal with Riina, a native of the rural Sicilian town of Corleone, to end his clan's murderous spree in the early 90s.

Besides threatening prosecutors, in his conversations with Lorusso, Riina, who is known as "the Beast" for his brutality, also bragged about past crimes and criticised the current leadership of Cosa Nostra.

In October he was heard complaining about fugitive mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who, he said, was too concerned about his personal investments in windfarms and had neglected the syndicate.

Riina is standing trial in Palermo together with his right-hand man Bernardo Provenzano and other mafia members, as well as several high-ranking security officials and politicians, including former interior minister Nicola Mancino and Carabinieri general Mario Mori.

They face a wide range of charges including aggression against the state, perjury, and aiding and abetting Cosa Nostra.

interesting. I was in Corleone in 2010 on my honeymoon and went to the anti mafia museum over there. According to the museum guide, people are still afraid to even say his name in that town.

Ya the article says it was a death threat, but im not so sure. Them saying that "remember your family is free" might imply a threat against his family or just reminding him that his family is being taken care of. Either way telling a guy like riina to "keep their damn mouth shut" took some balls.

wat the hells the point of putting these mob bosses on trial when there all doing a bunch of life sentences its like the cops and d.a.s want some press. so I guess bernardo isn't as sick as he looked in that video in the visiting room. these guys are so powerfull why the let them get to gether and talk. unless they don't see each other. are the 2 old dons still friends? thought toto kid called provenzo a rat in jail. mmd day is coimg soon after the el chapo bust. is it like the maxi trial of the guys in a big cage, is it on tv?

Because the bosses (or someone) still need to be held accountable even though they're in jail for life. Families and their victims still need closure, more arrests are to be made if he would ever talk (not!). Why he was able to get together with that boss to talk, I'm not sure, because he's under 41-bis regime for life, which only gives him one hour a day out of his cell. It's all a game. They hope to hear him on camera talking about things and he knows they're listening to him so he says exactly what he wants them to hear.

MMD has another 10 years at least, as a free man.

Did any of you ever watched "Il Capo Dei Capi" an italian TV series about Riina's life etc

I don't understand: "Remember that your family is free. We'll take care of the rest." ?!

Because this letter is not a threat on Riina's life or his family's life. The Falange are telling him to stop talking so openly, he still has his family free and shouldn't be worried about getting things done. They will take care of things.

In case it isn't obvious, I should add that "family" refers to his mafia family.

'Corleone does not forget'

This is like some Game of thrones shit, the North remembers lol Riina is crazy.