Emanuele Bonafede remains in prison for aiding Matteo Messina Denaro’s fugitive lifestyle with his wife Lorena.

Last Updated: June 26, 2024

Resta in carcere Emanuele Bonafede: con la moglie Lorena si prendeva cura della latitanza di Matteo Messina Denaro

Emanuele Bonafede, from Campobello di Mazara, remains in prison as he is considered one of the main supporters of the Castelvetrano boss Matteo Messina Denaro, cousin of the surveyor Andrea Bonafede, who lent his identity to the former fugitive. Bonafede, sentenced last January for aggravated aiding and abetting and for evading the sentence, requested to the Palermo Court of Review to replace his pretrial detention in prison with house arrest. The request was rejected by the judges.

He ended up in jail along with his wife, Lorena Lanceri, the woman who for months took care of the Mafia boss, managing his message network, and who was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months for mafia association. Bonafede and Lanceri hosted Messina Denaro during his fugitive period, allowing him not only to spend many hours in peace and in their company in a family setting, but also to meet numerous people and to come and go from their home while carefully checking for any police or carabinieri presence. In addition to preparing meals for the wanted boss, the couple closely monitored the area, ensuring that he could leave the house undisturbed when the coast was clear. The couple had a strong loyalty to the boss, who reciprocated with valuable gifts: in 2017, Messina Denaro acted as godfather for the Bonafede’s son’s confirmation and gifted him a Rolex worth 6300 euros. The expenditure was then meticulously noted by Messina Denaro in a message.

Furthermore, investigations revealed that Lorena Lanceri and the boss had a romantic relationship. Investigators found a letter signed by Diletta, Lanceri’s code name according to the prosecutors, where the woman declared her love to Messina Denaro, claiming to have been by his side throughout his illness. The woman also handled the correspondence between the godfather and another lover, Laura Bonafede, who is also in prison.