Mafia Wind Farm Operation Busted In Sicily

ROME — Italian police on Tuesday arrested mobsters, businessmen and local politicians who allegedly used corrupt practices and bribes to gain control of a project to build wind farms in Sicily.

Operation "Aeolus," named after the ancient Greek god of winds, netted eight suspects, arrested in the Trapani area of western Sicily, as well as in Salerno on the Italian mainland and in the northern city of Trento.

Police in Trapani said the local Mafia bribed city officials in nearby Mazara del Vallo so the town would invest in wind farms to produce energy.

The project, worth hundreds of millions of euros (dollars), was first devised in 2003 and later uncovered by an investigation that included wiretaps, police said in a statement.

Investigators discovered that luxury cars and thousands of euros in bribes were given to politicians to ensure that a Mafia-backed company won the lucrative public contract.

The suspects also illegally accessed the municipality's safe to copy the proposal of a rival company, which was later excluded from the bidding.

"All activities were controlled by these businessmen tied to Cosa Nostra," police official Giuseppe Linares told Italy's Sky TV. "Not only the construction of the plant, but also all the subcontracts for building materials: concrete, carpentry, electric systems and metal."

The police statement said the businessman allegedly heading the project on behalf of the Mazara crime clan had links to Matteo Messina Denaro, a fugitive who investigators say is one of Cosa Nostra's top bosses.

The infiltration of construction and other public works contracts in Sicily has long been a source of income for Cosa Nostra.

But lately the Sicilian Mafia has been hurt by top arrests and a growing rebellion by the island's businessmen against systematic extortion. It has also lost ground in the drug trade to other Italian organized crime groups, mainly the Calabria-based 'ndrangheta.

Comments

[ObjectiveRealist]

Heh-heh, I'm bookmarking this for reference against any Internet troll who argues that green energy is not cost-effective. If the Mafia will bribe for it, it's effing profitable!

[tailgateshirts]

Jesus....a­t least they were trying to do something good for once lol.

Like Chicago... it may be run by the MOB, but its clean. operates well and awesome

[kingcityguru]

No different than Gore and Strong's global warming carbon offset scam.

I understand that another global warming protest in Washington was "frozen out" today. No word on HuffPo....

[mateoconifer]

you can be sure the the GOP mafia is at work doing similar here

[cobobs]

Green mobsters?

[Lozange]

GREEN MOBSTERS!?! Times must be real hard for them! What a screwy proposition, really! LOL

[bilmardre]

Wonder if the mafia ever considered trying to harness all the wind coming out of Rush Limbaugh?

[bulfinch]

No, all of that gas is being used to inflate blimps.

[b1986]

LOL

[ctngreen]

RUSH BLIMPAUGH
ROFLMAO

[SwingingFromCenter]

The only difference between the mafia's tactics and corporate America's?

In corporate America, they're called "lobbyists"

[ChiProgressive]

Down with legalized bribes!

[bittertooth]

Right now what is important is that the playing field is level.

[PlayTOE]

If the MOB is interested in wind power, then we KNOW there is money in it.

[janinius]

exactly my thoughts

[danusgram]

we better wath our industry here

[Gusweyn]

time to round-up our mafia in wall street. They have destroyed this country.

[TimmySlagle]

"e local Mafia bribed city officials in nearby Mazara del Vallo so the town would invest in wind farms"

Well of course. Wind energy is not viable in a free market economy, because it costs more. So the only way it can exist is in the public sector.

The public sector responds to bribery and corruption, rather than market forces. And since there is no profits incentive to keep these projects within a strict budget, they can be enormously profitable for corrupt people.

It is no coincidence that road and municipal construction companies are linked very closely to organized crime.

[MajorKong]

Tell that to all the ranchers in Texas who built wind generators on their land and are selling the power back to the grid. Note that's happening in reddest of red state Texas.

[TimmySlagle]

Link?

[YankeeCanuck]

Sicily is looking more and more like Washington every day.

[bittertooth]

I lived in Sicily for four years.

[TheWombat]

Congratulations.

[DonVito]

When our new generation of Capos try to modernize and do the right thing we get disrespected by the authorities for a larger share of the profits.
What's a young Capo to do with people like that ?
They have no sense of customs, tradition and onore.
I'm glad I don't have those headaches anymore; I'm enjoying my retirement

[KCFreedom]

At least the mafia is progressive enough to see the potential in wind energy.

Of course, they have to control all the materials to build them, too, just like they always do.

Can they make them out of concrete? :>)

[DonVito]

We looked into it, too expensive.