Salvatore Lo Piccolo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 20 July 1942 |
| Occupation | Mafia boss |
| Criminal status | Imprisoned since 2007 |
| Allegiance | Sicilian Mafia |
| Conviction(s) | Mafia association Multiple murder |
| Criminal charge | Mafia association Multiple murder |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment |
Salvatore Lo Piccolo (Italian pronunciation: [salvaˈtoːre lo ˈpikkolo]; born 20 July 1942), also known as "the Baron" (il Barone), is a Sicilian mafioso and one of the most powerful bosses of Palermo, Sicily. Lo Piccolo rose through the ranks of the Palermo mafia throughout the 1980s and he became the capomandamento of the San Lorenzo district in 1993, replacing Salvatore Biondino, who was sent to prison. Lo Piccolo was a fugitive since 1983 and had been running his Mafia affairs in hiding. With the capture of Bernardo Provenzano on 11 April 2006, Lo Piccolo had been cementing his power and rise to the top of the Palermo Mafia until his own arrest on 5 November 2007. It is believed that his family spread across Europe due to rising tensions, settling in England, Portugal, and southern Spain.
Lo Piccolo is also known as 'u vascu (Sicilian for 'the old one' / 'elder'; Italian: il vecchio). In clandestine correspondence with former mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano, Lo Piccolo used to identify himself by the number 30. Lo Piccolo's fortune came from the international cocaine trafficking, the extortion of businesses, and the theft of money allocated for public works projects. He invested much of his earnings in real estate. Lo Piccolo long supported Provenzano's policy of not directing violence toward the state and preferred arbitration as means to settle conflict between rival mafia factions.[1]
- ^ Changes in Mafia Leadership Reveal New Links to US-Based La Cosa Nostra, DNI Open Source Center, November 19, 2007