$1.76 Billion in Assets Seized in Italian Anti-Mafia Raid
Virga, a concrete magnate in Sicily, and his two brothers and two sisters, all in their 60s and 70s, are believed to have helped the Corleone family of the local Mafia in securing public construction contracts. Previously Virga was seen as a symbol of resistance to the Mafia, claiming extortion attempts in the past which led to the arrests of five people in the Sicilian town of Misilmeri.
The confiscation of assets totaled over 1.6 billion Euros ($1.76 billion), Palermo police said, adding it was among the largest raids of its kind. Bank accounts, real estate and furniture were among the assets seized from the Virga family. The five members of the family worked as laborers in the 1980s but became billionaires through their involvement in the building trades and in criminal enterprises, Italian media reported.
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