‘Ndrangheta’s man in Malta bullied witness into giving up on fatherhood

The 700-page dossier authored by Reggio Calabria’s anti-mafia unit includes a number of anecdotes which have given a somewhat clearer picture of the enigmatic life of mafia bosses and their henchmen, particularly those who set a network of gaming firms in Malta to launder their criminal proceeds.

One episode described in detail centres around an Italian witness who happened to have had a relationship with Jessica Zucco, sister of one of the men arrested in Malta and who was the mastermind behind the companies set up in Malta for the Calabrian mafia, the ’Ndrangheta. 

According to the anti-mafia unit’s dossier, the woman’s brother, Marco Zucco, opened one of the companies involved in the scam, Betuniq, together with the ’Ndrangheta’s main man Mario Gennaro.

 The witness, Michele Erredia, told prosecutors that he was “worried and afraid about his safety” after having impregnated Jessica Zucco. 

Erredia, who worked in a supermarket in Malta and lived in Gzira together with Zucco, said that he shared a number of experiences with her and met her relatives, who were also involved with other partners in managing interests in the online gaming sector. 

“The woman became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion, to which, however, Erredia disagreed,” anti-mafia investigators recounted in their dossier.

“He however had to give in to the intransigent position of the woman’s brother: the already known Marco Zucco, who threatened Erredia and not only forced him to relinquish his paternal ambitions, but also to leave Malta, which he did, by returning to Italy,” the dossier says. 

Marco Zucco, who owns five properties in Malta, was described as a man who enjoyed a “lavish lifestyle” and played a central role in the management of Betuniq in Malta. 

The Betuniq brand controlled 1,500 gaming and betting agencies spread all over the Italian territory and was run by Mario Gennaro, who was arrested in Malta and extradited alongside five other Italian nationals.

 In the wake of the arrests, the Malta Gaming Authority suspended with immediate effect the licences of Uniq Group Limited (Betuniq) and Betsolution4U Limited.

Besides providing key information on Marco Zucco, Erredia confirmed Gennaro’s crucial role in Betuniq, and his high-end lifestyle.

“Erredia offers significant facts, in order to describe Gennaro’s criminal qualities, by giving more evidence regarding the fact that he is a representative of the ’Ndrangheta, having infiltrated in the highly remunerative business,” the dossier points out.

In recounting the intimidation he suffered to give up on becoming a father and to distance himself from Jessica Zucco, Erredia told investigators that his girlfriend warned him to steer away from Gennaro.

Alluding to Gennaro’s criminal attributes, the woman told him “you should never talk about Gennaro as you don’t know who you are dealing with.”

‘Ndrangheta’s homo novus

Calabria police described 39-year-old Mario Gennaro, who was registered at a Pendergardens address at St Julian’s, as the mastermind behind the web of illegal online betting and gambling in Italy on behalf of the ‘Ndrangheta. 

Five other Italian nationals – Margherita Giudetti, 34, Francesco Ripepi, 38, Alessandro Ciaffi, 40, Rocco Ripepi, 36 and Fortunato Stracuzzi, 37 – connected to the Betuniq brand who were living in Malta, were arrested under a European Arrest Warrant.

Gennaro was described by the judge as the mafia’s “new man” (homo novus) who acted as the ‘ndrangheta’s “instrument and guarantor” in its attempt to infiltrate the betting industry through ostensibly lawful operations. 

In recent years, Italian police had been following Gennaro’s movements closely, especially his frequent trips to Malta, where he participated in poker tournaments with notorious people from Calabria well known for their affection for casinos and sports betting. 

They also said that the Texas Holdem Poker tournaments in Malta were being used for the recycling of money deriving from criminal activities, principally from the Tegano clan. 

Anti-mafia magistrates concluded that Gennaro’s frequent trips to Malta and his participation in poker tournaments confirmed that the mafia’s money was being transferred to Malta.