Sicilian Mafia Leader's Sister Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison

Rosalia Messina Denaro, sister of late Sicilian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, has been sentenced to 14 years for her involvement in his criminal activities. Arrested in March 2023, she was accused of aiding her brother while he was on the run. The verdict can be appealed twice before finalization.

Rosalia Messina Denaro, the eldest sister of the late Sicilian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for aggravated mafia association and receiving stolen goods, according to a judicial source on Thursday. Matteo Messina Denaro was Italy's most wanted man until his arrest in January last year and had been on the run for three decades before his death from cancer last September.

Rosalia was arrested in March 2023 and faced trial where prosecutors accused her of covering up for her fugitive brother, managing his finances, and facilitating his communications with the outside world. The 69-year-old was convicted in a first-instance ruling in Palermo, Sicily. Under Italian law, the verdict can undergo two appeals before it becomes final.

During his time on the run, Matteo Messina Denaro adhered to mafia conventions by communicating through 'pizzini'—small notes with orders and instructions, sometimes encrypted. Police discovered some of these notes at Rosalia's residence. Matteo Messina Denaro went into hiding in 1993 after mafia informants began revealing details of his crimes, including the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Known as 'U Siccu' (The Skinny One), he was closely linked to the Corleonesi faction led by Salvatore 'the Beast' Riina, the notorious 'boss of bosses' of Cosa Nostra.