PALERMO – “Long-time mafioso”, the investigators define him. Giovan Battista Badalamenti, 69 years old, in recent days he escaped arrest in the blitz between the province of Palermo and New York. Relatives and friendships that count. Mysteries and secrets of the old and new mafia: Badalamenti is a key figure in the investigation of the Palermo district anti-mafia directorate. He is considered one of the most authoritative voices of the Torretta mafia family in America where he has lived for years and where he was not found on the night of the raid by FBI agents.
The brother is serving a life sentence
First of all it is brother of the lifer Martino. The latter was very loyal to the Partinico mafia boss Vitale Vito with whom he was finally sentenced to life imprisonment for the murdercommitted in 1997, of the boss Antonino Geraci. They got the old boss out of the way and the Vitales took over. Martino Badalamenti A few months ago he obtained semi-freedom.
That Badalamenti is part of Cosa Nostra would emerge from a 2019 conversation with Francesco Puglisi convicted of extortion. They were commenting on the murder of Frank Calìboss of New York’s Gambino crime family. “The death of this one has cut off all our legs”, Badalamenti said admitting to being part of the clan. “Just a madman, a madman… no one allowed himself,” he added. And in fact Calì was killed by a young man unrelated to mafia contexts. “And thank goodness Battì”, explained his interlocutor. Otherwise a bloody mafia war could have broken out. Puglisi had feared for a moment that Badalamenti himself or Silvester Davì, considered a big shot of the New York family, had died.
They were days of fibrillation, of “alert” in America and also in Sicily. Calì Badalamenti spoke about the murder with his brother who was serving a life sentence during an interview in the Sulmona prison. Out of prudence they did not mention the name of the murdered boss: “… that criaturi that brought this water to America… (he was talking about the import export of well-known mineral water brands, ed.) a friend who… had exclusivity there… did you understand who he is?”.
The holiday in Sicily
Last August, Badalamenti’s holiday in Sicily and his contacts with were monitored Silvester Davì and John Jack D’Amico (Uncle Jack), regent of the Gambino family until 2008. In particular, he was interested in the semi-freedom obtained between last May and June by Martino Badalamenti and Giuseppe Antonio Davì. Strong conflicts emerged between the Badalamenti brothers on the one hand and their nephew Salvatore Prestigiacomo on the other (already convicted of mafia and arrested again a few days ago). In the past Prestigiacomo had obtained from San Giuseppe Jato boss Salvatore Mulè to allow the transfer of an affiliate, Francesco Lombardo, from the Sicilian mafia to the American Cosa Nostra. “Quoted. I’m going to rub it in the ass… to him and to all these listed people. But for real. I don’t care about them”, said Martino Badalamenti angrily in the car with his brother on behalf of his nephew.
Mafia talk
On the evening of 20 July 2023, during a visit by Badalamenti to the home of his nephew Prestigiacomo, the two found themselves alone and they started commenting on new and old news: the conviction of Giovanni Filippo Angelo and Ignazio Antonio Mannino last April, the conflicts in the Torretta family and the role of the regretted district chief Michelangelo La Barbera, capable of closing ranks and putting an end to any internal conflict within the mafia family.
Inspection before the crime
Then they discussed the murder of Antonino Geraci and a site inspection Done in Messina in which Giovan Battista Badalamenti would have participated together with his brother Martino and Vito Vitale. In Cesarò, in the Messina area, Geraci had lived in forced residence before being admitted to the Civic hospital of Palermo, near which he was murdered on 23 November 1997.
Immediately afterwards Badalamenti confided to Prestigiacomo that he had been contacted, with the utmost confidentiality, by the mafioso Nicolò Salto for the resolution of some delicate issues. Finally they talked about the role of Don Ciccio Rappa, considered the strong man of the blitz, of the Altofonte boss Mimmo Raccuglia and Matteo Messina Denaro. Also due to this knowledge, investigators attribute a leading role to Badalamenti. He has been wanted for a few days.
