I don't think there's an official guidebook for Gangland fugitives, but if there is I'm sure that one of the rules is that when
you're on the run, don't use the name of a known criminal as your fake identity. And another might
be that once you've found a good safe hiding spot, don't pose for newspaper photos using the
criminal's name — even if you're really, really proud of the pizzeria you've started in your
new life. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate fugitives making mistakes that allow me to
make a new video, but this one, really, this is just embarrassing. The Mob Reporter here with
quick news of another Italian Mafia fugitive, this one captured on Feb. 2, 2023. The
killer in a double hit successfully kept off the radar for 16 years. Let me tell you about it
Edgardo Greco, 63, is named as a member of the 'Ndrangheta, the powerful Mafia
born in the southern Italian region of Calabria. That's the toe on the boot-shaped map of Italy
Greco was muscle for his clan, and was hailed for his bravado for trying to stab the boss
of his clan's rivals while they were in prison in the 1980s. His attempt was unsuccessful but
still appreciated, and it led to accolades and promotion. Once back outside, he took his place
as a loyal soldier in Cosenza, a city of about 200,000 people. In 1991, he was involved in a double hit
The victims were two men, Giuseppe Bartolomeo, 30, and his brother Stefano, 28.
They were both mobsters themselves. Those two brothers were arrested for killing a prison warden
in 1985, but when they emerged from jail they were bitter over their place in the clan and went rogue
It sparked a Mafia war that featured ambushes, betrayals, and death
The Bartolomeo brothers were eventually lured to a meeting to discuss peace terms with the clan. It
was, of course, a trap. Their end wasn't pretty. Four or five mobsters — Greco among them — beat the pair
with metal drive shafts inside a fishmonger's office. Their bodies were never found. Court
heard testimony from turncoat informants that the mobsters poured acid on the remains, during which
they found one was still alive. Greco was arrested after that. He flirted with becoming an informant
but in the odd, slow way of Italian justice, wasn't convicted for the murders until 2006. He was given
a life sentence but fled. Greco eventually made his way across the Alps to France and by about 2014
he had found a good place to hide in Saint-Étienne. It's a city with a regional population of some 400,000
people about 35 miles southwest of Lyon. Now every fugitive needs a cover story and
a new name. Greco's cover was working as a pizza chef in a restaurant near the city's main railway
station. He chose as his new identity that of Paolo Dimitrio. He had bigger dreams, though, and
in June 2021 he opened his own restaurant near the city center, called Caffé Rossini Ristorante
offering traditional Italian cuisine. Working as a chef might have been a good idea. I found in my
experience a lot of Mafia members are great cooks, or at least have fine taste in food and drink
Here he is making a delightful flaming Parmigiano pasta — with the hot pasta
tossed inside a whole wheel of hard cheese. Amazing. Reserve my table. Greco certainly
threw himself into his new venture. His regulars called him Rocco. Shortly after opening, he bragged
of his restaurant's bounty in a local newspaper, Le Progrès. He was all about Italian cuisine prepared
with only fresh and homemade products, he said. He told the reporter of being born in Italy's south and
about his fondness for his grandmother's cooking, which he tried to emulate for his customers
He even posed for a newspaper photograph, holding what looks to be an enormous calzone
His dream didn't last long, though, and it's not the fault of police. His restaurant failed and
this past November he returned to work at the restaurant he had left,
working the night shift making pizzas. I guess he "kneaded the dough," so to speak
That's where he was arrested by police. His pizza oven was apparently still warm when he was pinched
While his job on the run may have been a good one, his choice of a cover name was a dud. It was
apparently the name of a known Italian criminal and with that name screaming in the headline about
his restaurant, it eventually caught the attention of Italian police. But his face didn't match that
of Paolo Dimitrio. But it did match that of someone else. Comparing the man in the pizzeria to old
mugshots of Greco reveal a striking resemblance. He even kept his beard. French and Italian officers
worked to trace his movements, placing Greco under surveillance while his identity was
probed. Italian police said he lived modestly in a small apartment in the city. Capturing Mafia
fugitives has grabbed headlines lately, especially last month with the arrest of Italy's Most Wanted
man, the top Sicilian Mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, who was caught after 30 years on the run
But let's be clear: Greco is no Messina Denaro. Despite headlines calling Greco a "Mafia Boss"
that greatly elevates his modest status. He seemed to have been a mob soldier — a hitter — which, to be
frank, in the middle of a Mafia War, isn't all that rare. But still, if he's killed at least twice and
tried two or three more, then returning him to face justice in Italy is still reason for police and
prosecutors to cheer. The 'Ndrangheta, after all, is Italy's most extensive and powerful Mafia group
It operates on every continent and has strong ties to the cocaine trade connecting Europe to
South America. The international cooperation for Greco's capture came through Interpol's
I-Can project. Interpol is the international police agency and I-Can stands for "Interpol
Cooperation Against 'Ndrangheta." The project was launched in 2002 and has so far helped arrest
dozens of fugitives worldwide. Its original funding is set to expire this year. I wouldn't be surprised
if it was extended. Please like, comment, and share this video on social media. Subscribe if you've not
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