Gioacchino La Barbera
Encyclopedia
Gioacchino La Barbera is a member of the Mafia
who became a pentito
. He was one of the key witnesses in the trial against the killers of Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone
.
La Barbera was born in Altofonte
, in the province of Palermo
. In 1981 he was initiated in the Altofonte cosca
and in 1986 he became the regent of the Altofonte Mafia family after the arrest of Bernardo Brusca
.
After the arrest of Mafia boss Totò Riina in January 1993, the remaining bosses, among them La Barbera, Giuseppe Graviano
, Matteo Messina Denaro
, Giovanni Brusca
, Leoluca Bagarella
, and Antonino Gioè came together a few times (often in the Santa Flavia area in Bagheria
, on an estate owned by the mafioso Leonardo Greco). They decided on a strategy to force the Italian state to retreat. That resulted in a series of bomb attacks in 1993 in the Via dei Georgofili in Florence
, in Via Palestro in Milan
and in the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano and Via San Teodoro in Rome
, which left 10 people dead and 93 injured as well as damage to centres of cultural heritage such as the Uffizi
Gallery.
On March 23, 1993, La Barbera, Antonino Gioè and Salvatore Bentivegna were arrested in Milan. The police taped them while they were planning bomb attacks. La Barbera started to collaborate with the authorities in November 1993.
La Barbera confessed his participation in the slaying of Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone
He followed Falcone's car as it sped toward Palermo
, keeping in constant touch with Leoluca Bagarella
, Antonino Gioè and Giovanni Brusca
on the hillside near Capaci
. Brusca set off the explosion.
He also admitted to have been involved in the killing of Salvo Lima, the former mayor of Palermo
.
His father Girolamo La Barbera (born in 1925) was murdered on June 10, 1994, because he defended the choice of his son to become a pentito
. The killing was staged as a suicide. Among the killers were Michele Traina and Domenico Raccuglia
. The order came from Giovanni Brusca
. Traina and Raccuglia received life sentences for the killing in June 2005, while Brusca was sentenced to 13 years.
In October 1997, the pentito
La Barbera was rearrested. Although a key witness in several important trials under way, he had returned home and recommenced his criminal activities and avenge atrocities carried out on family members.
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
who became a pentito
Pentito
Pentito designates people in Italy who, formerly part of criminal or terrorist organizations, following their arrests decide to "repent" and collaborate with the judicial system to help investigations...
. He was one of the key witnesses in the trial against the killers of Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone
Giovanni Falcone
Giovanni Falcone was an Sicilian/Italian prosecuting magistrate born in Palermo, Sicily. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Mafia in Sicily...
.
La Barbera was born in Altofonte
Altofonte
Altofonte is a comune in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 9 km southwest of Palermo....
, in the province of Palermo
Province of Palermo
The Province of Palermo is a province in the autonomous region of Sicily, a major island in Southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. The Province of Palermo has 82 comuni , 1,239,272 inhabitants, and is 4,992 km² .-External links:...
. In 1981 he was initiated in the Altofonte cosca
Cosca
The word cosca is a Sicilian word which refers to any plant – such as the artichoke or the thistle – whose spiny closely folded leaves symbolize the tightness of relationships between members of the Mafia. In the English language this is best described as a clan. It is often used as a synonym for...
and in 1986 he became the regent of the Altofonte Mafia family after the arrest of Bernardo Brusca
Giovanni Brusca
Giovanni Brusca is a former member of the Sicilian Mafia. He murdered the anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1992 and once stated that he had committed between 100 and 200 murders but was unable to remember the exact number...
.
After the arrest of Mafia boss Totò Riina in January 1993, the remaining bosses, among them La Barbera, Giuseppe Graviano
Giuseppe Graviano
Giuseppe Graviano is an Italian mafioso from the Brancaccio quarter in Palermo. He is currently serving several life sentences....
, Matteo Messina Denaro
Matteo Messina Denaro
Matteo Messina Denaro , also known as Diabolik, is a Sicilian mafioso. He got his nickname from the Italian comic book character of the same name. He is considered to be one of the new leaders of Cosa Nostra after the arrest of Bernardo Provenzano on April 11, 2006...
, Giovanni Brusca
Giovanni Brusca
Giovanni Brusca is a former member of the Sicilian Mafia. He murdered the anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1992 and once stated that he had committed between 100 and 200 murders but was unable to remember the exact number...
, Leoluca Bagarella
Leoluca Bagarella
Leoluca Bagarella is an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is from the town of Corleone and was a member of the Corleonesi.-Biography:...
, and Antonino Gioè came together a few times (often in the Santa Flavia area in Bagheria
Bagheria
Bagheria is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.-Etymology:According to some sources, the name Bagheria originates from the Phoenician term Bayharia meaning "land that descends toward the sea." Other sources claim that it derives from the Arabic Bāb al-Gerib, or "windy...
, on an estate owned by the mafioso Leonardo Greco). They decided on a strategy to force the Italian state to retreat. That resulted in a series of bomb attacks in 1993 in the Via dei Georgofili in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, in Via Palestro in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and in the Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano and Via San Teodoro in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, which left 10 people dead and 93 injured as well as damage to centres of cultural heritage such as the Uffizi
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
Gallery.
On March 23, 1993, La Barbera, Antonino Gioè and Salvatore Bentivegna were arrested in Milan. The police taped them while they were planning bomb attacks. La Barbera started to collaborate with the authorities in November 1993.
La Barbera confessed his participation in the slaying of Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone
Giovanni Falcone
Giovanni Falcone was an Sicilian/Italian prosecuting magistrate born in Palermo, Sicily. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Mafia in Sicily...
He followed Falcone's car as it sped toward Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, keeping in constant touch with Leoluca Bagarella
Leoluca Bagarella
Leoluca Bagarella is an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is from the town of Corleone and was a member of the Corleonesi.-Biography:...
, Antonino Gioè and Giovanni Brusca
Giovanni Brusca
Giovanni Brusca is a former member of the Sicilian Mafia. He murdered the anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1992 and once stated that he had committed between 100 and 200 murders but was unable to remember the exact number...
on the hillside near Capaci
Capaci
Capaci is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.In 2004 the commune was inhabited by 10,129 people, with the density of 1,688.2 people per square kilometer....
. Brusca set off the explosion.
He also admitted to have been involved in the killing of Salvo Lima, the former mayor of Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
.
His father Girolamo La Barbera (born in 1925) was murdered on June 10, 1994, because he defended the choice of his son to become a pentito
Pentito
Pentito designates people in Italy who, formerly part of criminal or terrorist organizations, following their arrests decide to "repent" and collaborate with the judicial system to help investigations...
. The killing was staged as a suicide. Among the killers were Michele Traina and Domenico Raccuglia
Domenico Raccuglia
Domenico Raccuglia , also known as Mimmo, is a member of the Mafia in Sicily. His nickname is " 'U vitirinariu"...
. The order came from Giovanni Brusca
Giovanni Brusca
Giovanni Brusca is a former member of the Sicilian Mafia. He murdered the anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1992 and once stated that he had committed between 100 and 200 murders but was unable to remember the exact number...
. Traina and Raccuglia received life sentences for the killing in June 2005, while Brusca was sentenced to 13 years.
In October 1997, the pentito
Pentito
Pentito designates people in Italy who, formerly part of criminal or terrorist organizations, following their arrests decide to "repent" and collaborate with the judicial system to help investigations...
La Barbera was rearrested. Although a key witness in several important trials under way, he had returned home and recommenced his criminal activities and avenge atrocities carried out on family members.