"Gomorra" and "Il Divo" Win at Cannes, Draw Mob Crowds in Italy

This is the year of the mafia—at least at the box office.

Two films on organized crime in Italy, each fact-based melodramas, took top prizes at the Cannes Film Festival in May and are drawing packed audiences here. The Italian movie industry was giddy over the double win.

"Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System," the film adaptation of a diary-like book by journalist Roberto Saviano that focuses on the Naples-based mob known as Camorra, took home Cannes' grand prize. "Il Divo," a film directed by Paolo Sorrentino, won the jury honor for its original portrayal and analysis of former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti.

Sorrentino, a 38-year-old native of Naples, said he spent years contemplating how to explore Andreotti, a towering figure in Italian politics whose career was shadowed by suspicions of connections to the Sicilian-based Cosa Nostra. "It's such a provocative subject," he said during an interview in the Rome office of his film distributor.

The longtime prime minister faced criminal charges over the killing of a journalist who wrote that Andreotti had mafia ties and was implicated in the notorious kidnap-murder of politician Aldo Moro. Andreotti denied all charges. Over time, he was acquitted then convicted on appeal. Then that conviction was annulled. He remains a senator for life.

Andreotti's story has tantalized the Italian public—and perhaps any society ready to examine how a power class maintains itself, Sorrentino said. The film also opened the same month as the 30th anniversary of Moro's death, a time when dozens of new books are looking back on the scandalous killing.

"It's not something of the past," Sorrentino said of "Il Divo." "It's of today and tomorrow. Within power, criminal organizations have a place. ... The Italian state fights it, but on different tracks."

Both "Il Divo" and "Gomorra," directed by Matteo Garrone, have triggered discussions about the relentless criminality of Italian society.

"Italians are tired of not knowing," Sorrentino said of the films' popularity. "They want to know the mechanisms of power in Italy. In America, scandals and secrets at the top powers? In time, the truth comes out.

"In Italy, the truth never comes out."

Thanks to Christine Spolar

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"Cadillac Frank" Salemme Gets Five Years in Prison

Former New England Mafia boss Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme was sentenced today in federal court to five years in prison on charges of lying and obstructing justice. With credit for time served, the sentence handed down by US District Judge Richard G. Stearns means that Salemme will be free by Christmas. Salemme, 74, pleaded guilty in April to a two-count indictment in US District Court in Boston.

Salemme has admitted that after he began cooperating with the government in 1999 -- in an investigation into the FBI's corrupt handling of long-time informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi -- he lied about the 1993 disappearance of South Boston nightclub owner Steven DiSarro.

Prosecutors alleged that Salemme watched his son, Frank, strangle DiSarro at a Sharon home, then helped his son dispose of the body. The younger Salemme has since died of lymphoma. But in his plea agreement, Salemme denied any responsibility for the "disappearance and presumed murder" of DiSarro.

Asked by the judge at today's hearing if he had anything to say, Salemme said he wanted to "categorically deny" any involvement in DiSarro's murder. Salemme said he believed he had cooperated fully with law enforcement. "I've done what I thought was right all along," he said.

On his way out of the courtroom, a handcuffed Salemme in a black suit with a crisp shirt looked at his brother, Jack, and said, "Give my love to the kids."

Outside the courtroom, Jack said, "He's just going to fade off into the sunset and he doesn't want to come around here."

"As far as Frank is concerned, he stuck by his end of the bargain and it's over now," said Jack, "I don't think he's ever coming back to the Boston area."

Salemme became the head of the New England mob in the early 1990s. He ruled during a bloody power struggle until his indictment on federal racketeering charges in January 1995, along with Bulger and Flemmi.

He pleaded guilty to racketeering and extortion and admitted participating in eight gangland killings in the 1960s. A judge reduced his sentence in 2003 because his cooperation had helped convict former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. of racketeering. Salemme testified that Connolly had warned him, Bulger, and Flemmi to flee just before they were indicted in 1995. Bulger remains a fugitive.

Salemme was released into the federal witness protection program in 2003. He was indicted on the most recent charges a year later.

Thanks to Shelly Murphy

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Advice on Organized Street Gangs

If anyone knows gangs, it’s Linda Schmidt, an FBI Community Outreach Specialist in Ohio. She has spent the last two decades immersed in gang issues—first, leading a gang prevention program for a non-profit agency for nine years, then spearheading gang awareness initiatives as a community outreach specialist in our Cleveland and Cincinnati offices for the next 11 years. During that time Linda has ridden in patrol cars with police officers through gang-infested neighborhoods; worked with gang members in courts, schools, and prisons; and provided all kinds of training for law enforcement officers, educators, and community groups. Sadly for us, Linda is retiring at the end of this month. Before she goes, we asked her to share some of the knowledge she has gained over the years on gangs.

Q: How did you learn so much about gangs?
A: Many ways, but mostly by going into the schools and meeting with the teachers and kids. I listened to what the gang members, teachers, and other young people had to say and then watched closely to determine what was true. I learned how to talk to these kids, to read their graffiti, and to understand their mentality. You really have to make an effort to get inside their world.

Q: What signs can help warn parents that their kids are involved in gangs?
A: Watch for changes in your child’s personality, grades, clothing, and friends. Has your son or daughter been tattooed? Or injured—because boys are often beaten and girls raped as part of their initiation into a gang. You also have the right to go into your child’s room and check for contraband. Discuss this with them. It’s always good to let them know you’re doing your job as a parent. If you suspect that your child has joined or is thinking of joining a gang, talk to them. Stay calm and respond without shock and fear no matter what they say. This will let them know that they can keep talking to you.

Q: Any words of advice on how to steer young people away from gangs?
A: Yes, two things. First, one of the attractions of a gang is its strict discipline. With that discipline comes structure and limits and a sense of security and belonging. That’s what we need to offer to our young people as well—just in a positive way. We can’t be afraid, as parents and teachers, to provide structure and discipline to our children and students. I think the government can help by delivering funded programs that our young people can turn to—especially when there are problems at home—to feel safe and to belong. These programs should be 24/7, just like the gangs are. Second, on a more general level, all of us—parents, educators, community leaders, elected officials, law enforcement—need constant education about gangs and gang trends. Gangs are forever changing—we need to keep up.

Q: Any memorable experiences during your career?
A: There are many, but a recent one stands out. I got a phone call from a former gang member I had met in one of my programs who wanted to let me know how she was doing. Turns out, she became a mom and a paralegal and is going back to school to get her degree in criminal justice. To hear that really makes it all worthwhile.

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Dennis Johnson Sentenced in Chicago Mob Video Gambling Ring

A bit player snared in a government crackdown on the Chicago mob was sentenced last week to six months in federal prison for converting video games into gambling devices.

Dennis Johnson, 38, of Plainfield was also given three years' probation following his release for his part in the video gambling racket run out of suburban Cicero by suspected mobster Michael "Mickey" Marcello.

U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel said that although Johnson was not the mob leader that some of his co-defendants were, he was instrumental in a multimillion-dollar scheme.

Zagel sentenced Johnson to the minimum under the federal guideline range, saying he deserved credit for pulling himself together and changing his lifestyle since pleading guilty in June 2007.

Prosecutors did not press for a stiff sentence. "He was a small cog in the large wheel of the Outfit," said Markus Funk, one of three prosecutors who secured convictions against suspected top-echelon Chicago mobsters at the trial.

The case is one of the biggest targeting organized crime in Chicago. Defendants are accused of operating the Chicago Outfit - another name for the city's organized crime family - as a racketeering enterprise.

Johnson and his brother, Thomas Johnson of Willow Springs, both worked for Marcello's Cicero-based M&M Entertainment.

The two acknowledged they altered video games so they could be used as gambling devices, placed them in taverns and clubs, and collected the proceeds. Bogus records hid the profits, they said.

Thomas Johnson and Marcello have also pleaded guilty. Thomas Johnson is awaiting sentencing. Marcello got eight years after admitting he tried to buy the silence of jailed mobster Nicholas Calabrese - the government's star witness - by paying his wife $4,000 a month in hush money.

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Sex and The Sopranos

HBO, giddy over the success of its "Sex and the City: The Movie," may be going back for another dose of Carrie and company. But, wait, that's not all! There are also rumors "The Sopranos" might be getting "made" for the big screen. Bada bing, indeed!

We'd love to tell you HBO is planning a cross-over flick where characters from the two iconic shows meet up ("Samantha, meet Paulie Walnuts..."), but the alleged plans actually involve two separate movies. And, please note, we said "alleged." These are just rumors, albeit juicy ones that have launched a slew of blog postings and articles in the Buzz.

Access Hollywood reports that HBO execs have expressed public interest in doing another “Sex and The City” movie as well as a “Sopranos” flick. Meanwhile, Huffington Post notes that the fate of a Sopranos film would ultimately rest with the show's creator, David Chase. And, according to this video from Fox News, Mr. Chase ain't that interested. On a brighter note, the New York Post writes that there is currently "a lot of energy" about another "Sex" movie. A return to glittery Manhattan appears far more likely than another ticket to seedy Jersey.

For what it's worth, searches on both shows are still high, despite their being off the air. And, remember its called "show business" for a reason. If producers throw enough money on the table, we wouldn't be surprised if Tony came out of retirement for one more hit.

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