Three unexpected individuals arrested while serving Matteo Messina Denaro

Last Updated: March 27, 2024

Erano al servizio di Matteo Messina Denaro, arrestati tre insospettabili

“New blow to the network that protected Matteo Messina Denaro during his time on the run. The Carabinieri of the Ros arrested architect Massimo Gentile and radiology technician Cosimo Leone, both from the hospital in Mazara del Vallo, for mafia association, and Leonardo Gulotta for external involvement in mafia association. The investigation was coordinated by the prosecutor of Palermo Maurizio de Lucia, deputy Paolo Guido, and prosecutors Gianluca De Leo and Piero Padova. Since the capture of the boss on January 16, 2023, 14 people have been arrested for helping the wanted mafia boss, and four have already been convicted.

Originally from Campobello di Mazara, the town where Messina Denaro spent his last years in hiding, Gentile lives in Limbiate, in the province of Monza, and holds an administrative position in the municipality. The suspect is related to Salvatore Gentile, a convicted killer and husband of Messina Denaro’s longtime lover Laura Bonafede. According to investigators, between 2007 and 2017, the architect allegedly provided his identity to the wanted mafia boss several times, allowing him to purchase a Fiat 500 and a BMW motorcycle, obtain insurance for both vehicles, carry out banking transactions, and essentially live and move around his territory as an ordinary citizen with apparently legitimate identification.

Cosimo Leone, Gentile’s brother-in-law, is accused by prosecutors of ensuring the safety of the fugitive boss in November 2020 during a CT scan of the chest and abdomen, delivering a reserved cell phone during his hospitalization in Mazara del Vallo, when Denaro underwent colon cancer surgery, and sending him the CT scan CD to show to his doctors after his discharge. Leone was reportedly not only an indispensable intermediary with the outside world during the entire hospitalization period for Messina Denaro but also a significant point of reference within the hospital. Lastly, Gulotta is accused of providing his phone number to Denaro between 2007 and 2017 to receive communications from the dealer of the Fiat 500 purchased under a false name and from the insurance agencies where the policies for the car and motorcycle bought under Gentile’s identity were taken out.”