Italian Anti-Mafia Author Breaks Down in Tears as Mafia Boss's Condemnation is Upheld in Court

Italian anti-mafia author Roberto Saviano broke down in tears in court as judges upheld a conviction of a notorious mafia leader who threatened him. Francesco Bidognetti, former leader of the Camorra mafia in Naples, was sentenced to 18 months for intimidation. Saviano, 45, has lived under police protection since 2006 due to his book "Gomorra," which exposed the Camorra mafia.

Italian anti-mafia author Roberto Saviano broke down in tears in court as judges upheld a conviction of a notorious mafia leader who threatened him. Francesco Bidognetti, former leader of the Camorra mafia in Naples, was sentenced to 18 months for intimidation. Saviano, 45, has lived under police protection since 2006 due to his book "Gomorrah," which exposed the Camorra mafia.

The Rome court of appeals confirmed a 2021 ruling by a lower court, as it also upheld a 14-month sentence for Bidognetti's former lawyer, Michele Santonastaso, for the same crime. After the verdict, Saviano sobbed profusely as he hugged his lawyer, stating that Camorra mobsters had "stolen his life," forcing him to live under 24-hour protection.

The convictions are related to a message Santonastaso read out in court in 2008, during another trial, on behalf of Bidognetti and another Camorra boss. The message contained an "invitation" to Saviano and another journalist to "do (their) job properly," interpreted as a not-so-subtle hint to stop writing about the Neapolitan mafia.

Saviano has lived under police escort since 2006, when he published "Gomorrah," an expose on the Camorra that has also been made into a film and a TV series. The book's huge success turned Saviano into a public figure but also into an enemy for Bidognetti's ruthless Camorra clan, the Casalesi.

References:
[1] https://www.tradingview.com/news/reuters.com,2025:newsml_L8N3TB1BZ:0-italian-anti-mafia-author-weeps-in-court-as-mob-boss-convicted/
[2] https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-07-14/italian-anti-mafia-author-weeps-in-court-as-mob-boss-convicted