Milan, May 9 (LaPresse) – "I never committed extortions, the cash envelopes I received were for consultancy activities. I had no connections with Caminiti or Boiocchi."
This is what Mauro Russo, former head of the Inter ultras, former partner of Paolo Maldini and Christian Vieri, and now an entrepreneur in the fashion industry, stated in summary to Milan's investigating judge Domenico Santoro during his detention hearing after being placed under house arrest on Monday, accused of aggravated extortion against parking entrepreneur Gherardo Zaccagni in the latest branch of the investigation into ultras by the Milan DDA.
The 67-year-old, brother-in-law of Maldini’s brother, Aldo Russo, is accused by prosecutors Paolo Storari, Leonardo Lesti, and Sara Ombra in conjunction with the leader of Inter’s northern curve, Andrea Beretta, who is in prison for the murders of the 'ndrangheta member Antonio Bellocco and the former ultra leader, Vittorio Boiocchi, with Giuseppe Caminiti, another figure from the northern curve, also in prison as the killer of drug dealer Fausto Borgioli in 1992, and of Boiocchi.
According to investigations by the state police and financial police, he allegedly used "threats" and the power of "fear and intimidation" from the ultras' reputation to obtain 4,000 euros per month from the entrepreneur for two years. Zaccagni was reportedly told he needed to pay to avoid "problems with the curva".
Russo denied the extortion charge, which his defense claims never occurred. The cash envelopes without invoices left each month by the entrepreneur at 'Garage Marcona' marked with 'K' for the 'commander' (Russo’s nickname) were for the payment of his "services" as a "consultant" to the entrepreneur involved in the first part of the investigation.
Zaccagni's statements, which he made after agreeing to a plea deal with the prosecution, would be "false", as he supposedly maintained a "cordial relationship" with Russo even after the alleged events, which contradicts the extortion claim. "I saw Beretta a few times, mostly during Inter’s parties," the entrepreneur said, also denying any involvement in the activities of Boiocchi and Caminiti. The defense has requested the cancellation of the arrest. The minutes will be sent to the prosecutors – who were absent from the courtroom – for an opinion, and the investigating judge will then make a decision.
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