among them Francesco Lerose, entrepreneur from Crotone

The aggravating circumstance of the mafia method falls Cue processwith regard to alleged conditions for government procurementFlorence’s investigating judge Fabio Gugliotta has entrepreneur Graziano Cantini sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison and a fine of 4,600 euros and a 5-year ban from holding public officeowner of Cantini Marino srl of Vicchio del Mugello (Florence) on charges of criminal association, illegal competition with threats and extortion. Cantini will also have to compensate the entrepreneur who is considered to have been removed with threats from the management of public construction sites for the construction of the provincial road 429 Empoli Castelfiorentino: pending the determination of the amount of compensation by the civil court, he will have to pay a provisional amount of 15 thousand euros. The request for compensation from the trade union Cgil was excluded. The public prosecutor Lorenzo Gestri had demanded an 8-year prison sentence, but the investigating judge excluded the aggravating circumstance of the mafia method and the sentence was reduced. “We are satisfied with the sentence – said Cantini’s lawyer Federico Bagattini -, the judge dropped the aggravating circumstance of the mafia and rejected the compensation in favor of the Cgil union which considered Cantini’s company a kind of corruption center, even among its employees”.

The investigating judge has brought ten other suspects to trial, including Nicola Verdiglione, Cantini’s main collaborator, Crotone businessman Francesco Lerose, Nicola Chiefari, who is accused of having links with the Gallace ‘ndrangheta gang. Even for those, accused, in various capacities, of criminal association for extortion and illicit competition with threats, the aggravating circumstance of the mafia method has fallen. The trial will begin in January at the Pisa Court, since the most serious extortion episode is said to have taken place in Pontedera.