Palermo bans funerals for Franco Russo, involved in multiple mafia investigations

Last Updated: October 13, 2023

Franco Russo, a 62-year-old man previously involved in mafia investigations in the Borgo Vecchio district of Palermo, has died. He was under special surveillance and had his assets seized for over a million euros in 2013. In 2017, he was arrested along with 16 others in a Carabinieri operation targeting extortion in the neighborhood. In an appeal trial regarding Russo’s extortion arrests, the aggravating factor of aiding the cosa nostra was dropped, and he was sentenced to 2 years, 6 months, and 20 days. The Palermo police chief banned public funerals for Russo, but the Borgo Vecchio neighborhood wanted to pay their respects by leaving flowers near his family’s residence. The body will soon be taken to the cemetery, and a street procession in the neighborhood has been forbidden.