A one-eyed gangster known as “the last king of Rome” was sentenced yesterday to 20 years for corruption, but judges said his reign of terror was that of a common criminal and had nothing to do with the mafia. Massimo Carminati, 59, a former rightwing terrorist who lost an eye in a shootout with police, was the leader of a gang that used corruption and intimidation to win public contracts and divert millions of euros into its members’ pockets. Their activities led to a drastic decline in Rome’s public services and to the election a year ago of Virginia Raggi, the mayor from the anti-corruption Five Star Movement. Carminati was convicted along with 40 associates, including local politicians and hardened criminals, in a trial dubbed…

Source: The Times July 20, 2017 23:03 UTC