Giuseppe Falsone: Italian court upholds interception of letter to mafia boss

Italian prison authorities have intercepted a letter addressed to Giuseppe Falsone, a mafia boss serving a life sentence under the strict 41bis regime. The correspondence originated from a minister of the Valdese Evangelical Church.

The Court of Cassation upheld a previous ruling by the Surveillance Court of Perugia, which rejected an appeal by Falsone’s defense to allow the mail. Judges determined that the letter contained references to a third party that appeared to be out of context. They noted that such limitations on correspondence are necessary for investigations, crime prevention, and maintaining prison security, as the mention of a third party could potentially facilitate links between the prisoner and his criminal organization.

Falsone, originally from Campobello di Licata, is considered the leader of the Agrigento Cosa Nostra mafia, a status highlighted by the ‘Xidy’ investigation into the Canicattì mafia district. He has been in prison since 2010, following an 11-year period as a fugitive. In the ‘Xidy’ trial, he was sentenced in the first instance to 22 years in prison.