Overview

• The Tribunal del Riesame granted the Florence prosecutor’s appeal on June 25, finding serious indications of extortion aggravated by the mafia method.
• Execution of the pre-trial detention remains on hold as the Court of Cassation considers a challenge to the order.
• Prosecutors allege that from August 2024 the couple sent persistent, menacing demands for money to two Tuscan entrepreneurs, securing at least one payment.
• Investigators uncovered that Ciavarello used an illicit mobile phone from a Lazio prison to coordinate extortion messages to his wife and the business owners.
• The probe, led by the Florence Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia and ROS Carabinieri, underscores how mafia kin can mix legitimate ventures such as the Zù Totò brand with criminal schemes.