Tommaso Buscetta | |
|---|---|
 Tommaso Buscetta in an undated photograph | |
| Born | 13 July 1928 |
| Died | 2 April 2000 (aged 71) Florida, United States |
| Other names | "The Boss of Two Worlds"[1] "Don Masino"[2] |
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Spouses | Melchiorra Cavallaro
(m. 1944)Vera Girotti (m. 1966)Cristina De Almeida Guimarães
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 8 |
| Allegiance | Sicilian Mafia |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking (1972) |
| Criminal penalty | 10 years imprisonment; reduced to eight years on appeal |
Tommaso Buscetta (Italian pronunciation: [tomˈmaːzo buʃˈʃetta]; 13 July 1928 – 2 April 2000) was a high ranking Italian mobster and a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He became one of the first of its members to turn informant and explain the inner workings of the organization.
Buscetta participated in criminal activity in Italy, the United States and Brazil before being arrested and extradited from Brazil to Italy. He became disillusioned with the Mafia after the murders of several of his family members, and in 1984, decided to cooperate with the authorities. He provided important testimony at the 1986/87 Maxi Trial, the largest anti-Mafia trial in history. After the murder of the judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, Buscetta gave further testimony to the Antimafia Commission linking Italian politicians to the Mafia. Buscetta entered the Witness Protection Program in the United States, where he remained until his death in 2000.
- ^ "DON MASINO BOSS DEI DUE MONDI COSI' LO CHIAMAVA LA MALAVITA - la Repubblica.it". Archivio - la Repubblica.it (in Italian). 30 September 1984.
- ^ "Sono Don Masino, non dico altro" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 18 July 1984.