Italian Authorities Pulled Off The Largest Seizure Of Mafia-Linked Assets In History Last Night

Last night Italian authorities confiscated $1.6 billion worth of assets from the Italian "Lord of the Wind," energy mogul Vito Nicastri, the AFP reports. This is the largest seizure of mob-linked assets in Italian history.

Authorities believe that Nicastri has ties to the mafia — and not just any mafia, the Sicilian crime family headed by Matteo Messina Denaro, the so-called "Boss of all Bosses."

From AFP:

"This is a sector in which money can easily be laundered," Arturo de Felice, head of Italy's anti-mafia agency, told news channel SkyTG24 today. "Operating in a grey area helped him build up his business over the years."...

Nicastri had "numerous and high-level contacts with mafia figures" the anti-mafia agency said, adding that this had been confirmed by messages found during the arrest of two local mafia bosses.

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As for Denaro, he's been on the World's (and Italy's) Most Wanted List for years. He's headed the Cosa Nostra since 2006 and is also known as 'Diabolik' after a cult Italian comic strip criminal.

Arrest attempts in 2010 (after authorities were able to reconstruct Denaro's DNA) and in 2011 failed. Denaro's still at large, leading the mafia and still very feared despite this and other recent mafia linked asset seizures.

According Sicilian paper Gazetta del Sud authorities have received information indicating that Denaro is plotting to kill a Sicilian prosecutor.

From Gazetta:

Details of Messina Denaro's alleged assassination plan against Palermo prosecutor Nino Di Matteo were contained in two anonymous letters sent to Palermo prosecutors a few days ago, sources said. The government has ordered Di Matteo's police protection to be beefed up.

Scary stuff.