The Mafia in Italy distributes free food. The quarantine imposed by the coronavirus pandemic has hit the Italian economy hard. Cafes, restaurants, bakeries, and butcher shops are closed, and their owners are going bankrupt. The local mafia offers them help, but not for free.
The brother of a Cosa Nostra boss in Sicily delivers free food to a poor neighborhood in Palermo. “I do it because people call me and cry that they have nothing to feed their children,” he says. “A young woman calls every day. She has five children and doesn’t know how to feed them. According to him, if being a Mafioso means helping people, then he is proud to be called one.
“I did exactly the same thing,” says Gaspare Mutolo, a former member of the Sicilian Mafia who has testified against his former associates in dozens of court cases. “I was always charming, and people thought I was very generous. The Mafia wants to gain people’s trust, so I carefully hid what I really did. But do not forget – I was a criminal who killed more than 20 people. Mutolo gave an interview to the BBC via social media. He is in a secret location, under police protection, and spends his time painting. Many of his paintings depict the mafia’s tentacles reaching into society.
Sam Mutolo says that when he was helping poor families, they were not interested in what he was doing at other times. “When your children are crying because there is no food at home, or when your business is about to go bankrupt, you don’t care about the consequences of being helped by “bad people. In those moments, all you think about is how to survive,” he says. The Mafia has always offered food assistance to those in need. “The goal is to win people’s trust and at the same time create an alternative state structure,” says Nicola Gratteri, chief prosecutor in Catanzaro and investigator of mafia cases. “The mafia needs the support of the population. “In the current crisis conditions due to the coronavirus, this [assistance to the needy] will happen more and more often,” he says.
During the pandemic and the lockdown, the Mafia tries to play the role of the state within the state. “But accepting help from the mafia is extremely dangerous,” says Enza Rando of an organization dedicated to fighting the mafia. “The Mafia never does anything out of good intentions. They just don’t get it,” she says. “In their world, there’s only one approach – I help you, you help me.” Marcello owns a restaurant in Palermo. It has been closed since March. “I’m just waiting for someone from the mafia to come and offer to buy the restaurant,” he says. “I won’t be able to open it myself.”
“I’m waiting for the Mafia to buy my restaurant.” According to Marcello, it is all very simple. Someone knocks on your door and offers to buy your business right now. You can negotiate. Then part of the money is transferred to your bank account and the rest is brought in cash. An offer of tax-free cash is hard to turn down. “Now my company is going bankrupt. When someone offers you a life jacket, the choice is simple – you can either drown with your ideals or stay afloat,” he says. Usually the mafia does not ask for anything in return. But sooner or later you will have to pay.
“The Mafia helps those in need – but sooner or later there will be a price to pay. “The mafia will come back and demand something in return for their help,” says former mafioso Mutolo. For example, according to his words, before the elections he would appear at the doors of those he had helped and say, “Ciao bella, do you remember me? I helped you when you needed me. Now I need you. All I want is for you to vote for this or that candidate. This practice is called “voto di scambio” – vote buying. The Mafia always benefits from global crises, and the current pandemic is just a dream for them. “They have a lot of money, and it’s all in cash,” Mutolo says. According to him, they provide assistance much more effectively than government services. Take the example of Antonio and his wife Francesca. They own a butcher shop in a small town in Puglia, southern Italy.
Shortly after the quarantine began, one of their regular customers came to them and offered financial assistance. “We looked at each other and our hearts stopped: we understood immediately what was happening,” says Antonio. He and his wife turned down the offer. Mafia specializes in cheap loans with low interest rates. But, as Grattari says, sooner or later such a benefactor will reveal the true price of his help. “At that moment, a slow agony begins. In such cases, the mafia does not want to make money – they have to take over the business in order to launder money through it”. Since the start of the shutdown in Italy, the number of calls to the hotline set up for victims of creditors has increased by 100%. “If the Italian government is unable to help these people, they will fall into the arms of the mafia,” says Attilio Simeone, a hotline worker.
Italian restaurants have been closed since March 11. The global economy is expected to face its worst crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Analysts believe that Italy’s GDP will fall by 9.1% and many Italians will find themselves in a very difficult situation. “This is the most opportune moment for the mafia,” says Enza Rando. “Urgent action is needed now.” She and other antimafia specialists say the government needs to stay one step ahead of the mafia by providing financial assistance to both the population and businesses. The Italian government has already announced that it will provide up to 25,000 euros to affected entrepreneurs. But Marcello has no plans to ask the government for a loan.
Many restaurant owners believe that the only way out is to sell their business to the Mafia. “I won’t be able to pay. After the quarantine, everyone will still have to follow the rules of social distancing, and that means restaurants will have fewer customers and less income,” he says. According to him, all the restaurant owners he knows feel the same way, and many believe that the only way out is to sell the business to the mafia as soon as possible. “I feel disgusted,” says Marcello. “All my life I have been against the Mafia, and now I have to go against my beliefs.” Some names have been changed to protect the people who spoke to the BBC. Illustrations: Jill Dastmalchi.