1. Ciccio Francesco Madonia was involved in several of the most bloody events in the 1980s.
11 Facts About Francesco Madonia
1. 2.
Francesco Madonia actively cooperated in the elimination of the old Palermitan bosses of the Second Mafia War, such as Stefano Bontade and Salvatore Inzerillo.
3.
Francesco Madonia has been involved in the murders of Piersanti Mattarella, the Christian Democrat president of the autonomous region of Sicily in 1980; general Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, the prefect of Palermo in 1982; police chief Ninni Cassara in 1985; and Libero Grassi, the Palermitan businessman who was killed by the Mafia after refusing to pay extortion money, known as "pizzo".
4.
Francesco Madonia was involved in the failed bomb attack against Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone at Addaura in 1989 and the killings of Falcone and his colleague Paolo Borsellino in 1992.
5.
Francesco Madonia was arrested in 1987 together with his son Giuseppe Madonia.
6.
In 1989, the police discovered the hideout of Francesco's son Nino Madonia which contained an account book of the family's extortion business which listed some 150 businessmen.
7.
Francesco Madonia has been convicted for ordering the killing of Libero Grassi in 1991, the Palermo businessman who refused to pay protection money and went on national television to denounce the practice.
8.
In 2002, Francesco Madonia was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the murder of judge Rocco Chinnici.
9.
Francesco Madonia died on 13 March 2007, in a prison hospital in Naples where he was serving his life sentence under the severe conditions of the article 41-bis prison regime.
10.
Francesco Madonia's jailed sons, Antonino, Giuseppe and Salvatore are all in high-security detention under the harsh 41-bis prison regime for Mafia prisoners that is meant to severely restrict their contact with other prisoners and the outside world.
11.
Nevertheless, they have continued to run the Francesco Madonia clan, issuing orders via Di Trapani and exchanging information with the Di Trapani clan, according to investigators.