Probe Yields Sentence for Milan Ultra: Francesco Lucci Faces 5.5 Years, Ex-Fedez Guard Gets 4 Years
Snappy Take:
In the courtroom halls of Milan, an unprecedented cloud looms over the city's beloved football ultras. Paolo Storari, the DDA's PM, strides past a gaggle of unsuspecting Milan ultras - unaware that associates Francesco Lucci, Riccardo Bonissi, and Christian Rosiello, among others, have just been slapped with convictions by the Milan Tribunal for their involvement in a seedy criminal association. This is the second guilty verdict in as many days, following the conviction of Luca Lucci and six other members of the Rossoneri Sud's leadership.
The verdict against Francesco Lucci, renowned as the de facto leader of this shady operation, sentences him to 5 and a half years in slammer. Bonissi and Rosiello get 3 years and 8 months and 4 years and 20 days, respectively. Importantly, Rosiello was previously linked to another investigation involving singer Federico Lucia for a gruesome group assault in 2024.
The thirty Milan ultras present in court to rally for their comrades remained conspicuously silent upon hearing the verdict. Their lawyer, Jacopo Cappetta, commented that there was a lack of consistent evidence of an associative program orchestrated to perpetrate crimes. While recognizing the prosecution's case, the court issued sentences more lenient than requested, with a provisional damages award of 40,000 euros for Milan, who acted as a civil party in the trials.
Appeals have been lodged against both verdicts. Luca Lucci, implicated in ordering the attack on Enzo Anghinelli to squash a power struggle over the Curva Sud, was handed a harsher sentence - ten years behind bars. The same penalty was doled out to Daniele Cataldo, one of the alleged material executors and a childhood friend of Lucci. The other lieutenants, including Alessandro Sticco, Fabiano Capuzzo, Luciano Romano, and Islam Hagag, received sentences of less than five years.
It's essential to note that this sordid tale forms part of a broader narrative involving 16 ultras, who received prison terms ranging from two to ten years for crimes including extortion and criminal association with tangential links to the 'Ndrangheta mafia. The court's decisions collectively call for approximately 90 years in jail for the ultras involved, with damages orders imposed against AC Milan, Inter, and the Lega Calcio.
In-depth Insights:
Francesco Lucci, Riccardo Bonissi, and Christian Rosiello are central figures in a criminal case regarding organized violence and criminal association connected to football ultras in Milan. The Milan Tribunal handed them convictions for criminal association charges, as well as other offenses such as infliction of bodily harm, beatings, extortion, and resistance to authority. The trial, initiated by the Milan anti-mafia prosecutor, centered on allegations of the aggravating circumstance of mafia involvement and resulted in total sentences amounting to about 90 years in prison for the ultras involved. 1^2^3^4
The convictions of Paolo Storari's associates, including Francesco Lucci, Riccardo Bonissi, and Christian Rosiello, stem from a general-news case involving organized violence and criminal association linked to Milan's football ultras. This case, which also encompasses offenses like infliction of bodily harm, beatings, extortion, and resistance to authority, is reminiscent of the broader sports-betting world, where such illegal activities can sometimes be found.
