Overview

• Antonio Messina, a 79-year-old lawyer and Freemason, has been arrested and placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring on charges of mafia association and illicit financing.
• Prosecutors allege that Messina managed the finances of the Campobello di Mazara clan and funded the fugitive life of mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro.
• Intercepted communications reveal tensions within the mafia, with coded messages and pizzini denouncing Messina's greed and calling for retribution against him.
• Wiretaps uncovered Messina's attempt to acquire confiscated mafia assets, including a plot of land reassigned to the municipality of Campobello di Mazara.
• The arrest highlights the critical role of trusted professionals in laundering mafia funds and the ongoing efforts by Italian authorities to dismantle organized crime networks through asset seizures and surveillance.