Massimo Carminati
The biggest mob trial in modern-day Rome opens on Thursday, with a one-eyed former neo-fascist gangster and 45 other defendants in the dock accused of operating a mafia network that plundered city coffers.
The trial is the result of the “Mafia Capital” investigation, which laid bare allegations of mobsters, bureaucrats and politicians working hand-in-fist to siphon off millions of euros from services covering everything from refugee centers to trash collection.
At the heart of the scandal sits Massimo Carminati, a one-time member of Rome’s notorious far-right Magliana Gang, and his sidekick Salvatore Buzzi, a convicted murderer.
Italian police allege Carminati and Buzzi infiltrated Rome’s city hall and got their hands on lucrative public contracts. Police have released an array of wiretaps that they say show the defendants openly discussing their various schemes.
“Do you have any idea how much you can make from immigrants? The drugs trade brings you less money,” Buzzi said in one call.
Both Buzzi and Carminati have denied the mafia charges.
Dancing With Fools 
Nobody does the Mob like the Italians do with the possible exception of the Russians.
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Everywhere in the former USSR. Plenty of places in Africa. China. Probably in Southeast Asia.
Certainly Louisiana.
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Snowing.
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Just a dusting. Melting now.
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And then there is Ben Carson…
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I have never seen a man so well medicated.
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Lots of clothes for the walk to the local pizza parlor.
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Where else can one overhear conversations in Korean, Latin American Spanish and American English at the same time?
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Also Arabic.
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But not Italian. 🙂
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Watch out for suspected terrorists and villains.
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There aren’t any Israelis in Pullman.
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🙂
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I hasten to add that all the Israelis I have met, all academics, were likable enough although the one Sabra was certainly brash.
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Off to the snug world of the ARRRRVee once again, So Cal holds some promise for housing, still searching…
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