Arena clan member transferred to Catanzaro prison as Jonny case continues

L. N., a 39‑year‑old member of the Arena clan from Isola di Capo Rizzuto, was moved to the prison in Catanzaro to serve the remaining one year and one month of his sentence. He had previously been detained and released when his precautionary detention expired. The transfer is part of the “Jonny” investigation, launched in May 2017 by the Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia of Catanzaro under prosecutor Nicola Gratteri. The probe uncovered the systematic diversion of public funds earmarked for the Centre for Asylum Seekers (CARA) in Isola di Capo Rizzuto, with more than €36 million of the €103 million allocated between 2006 and 2015 siphoned to the clan. It also revealed the clan’s control over local gambling, extortion of merchants and the use of shell companies to subcontract catering and services.

Key figures arrested included entrepreneur Leonardo Sacco and parish priest Edoardo Scordio, who acted as intermediaries enabling the clan’s infiltration of the CARA contracts. The operation resulted in 110 arrests and the seizure of assets worth over €84 million.