CHICAGO — Contrary to claims made by informants within the Sicilian Mafia, sulfuric acid will not dissolve a corpse in minutes, a new study finds. The research, reported February 23 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, was part of a wider effort to test claims about the mafia’s “lupara bianca,” or “white shotgun” murders, wherein the subject is known to be dead but a body is never found. (more)
ROME (Reuters) – Italian police have arrested the head of a powerful Calabrian mafia clan who was listed among the country’s 30 most dangerous fugitives. (more)
(AP) Authorities have charged 14 reputed members and associates of the Gambino crime family on counts ranging from sex trafficking to murder and racketeering. (more)
Relations between two of Pennsylvania’s most commanding political families reached critical mass Wednesday with a raft of criminal charges against state Sen. Jane Orie and a retort likening the family of District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. to the “Mafia.” (more)
Organized crime leaders in Italy are shifting their focus from violence and intimidation to seeking control of the economy, finance and politics, officials say. (more)
“The Sopranos” and other television shows about the mafia are damaging Italy’s reputation abroad, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said today. (more)
