Tommaso Buscetta

Lore & Background

Tommaso Buscetta was born in Palermo, Sicily, the youngest of 17 children, and raised in the poverty-stricken Kalsa area. He became involved with the Sicilian Mafia in 1945, eventually becoming a full member of the Porta Nuova mandamento, working in cigarette smuggling. After the Ciaculli massacre in 1963, he fled to several countries, including the United States, and was later convicted in absentia for two murders. He was arrested in Brazil in 1972, extradited to Italy, and imprisoned, but fled to Brazil in 1980 after being granted half-freedom.

Following the murder of his two sons in 1982 and the murders of several other family members during the Second Mafia War, Buscetta became disillusioned with the Mafia. Arrested again in Brazil in 1983 and extradited to Italy in 1984, he attempted suicide and then decided to cooperate. He spoke with anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone for 45 days, revealing the hierarchical structures of Cosa Nostra, including the Sicilian Mafia Commission, in what became known as the 'Buscetta theorem'. He later testified in the Pizza Connection Trial in New York and the Maxi Trial in Palermo, which led to 475 Mafia members indicted and 338 convicted.

After the murders of judges Falcone and Borsellino in 1992, Buscetta gave further testimony to the Antimafia Commission, accusing politicians Salvo Lima and Giulio Andreotti of being main political referents of the organization. He entered the Witness Protection Program in the United States, where he lived under false names until his death from cancer on 2 April 2000. He was buried under a false name in North Miami, Florida.

Reader's Guide

Tommaso Buscetta's significance lies in his role as one of the first high-ranking Sicilian Mafia members to break the code of omertà and become a pentito. His detailed testimony to judge Giovanni Falcone provided an unprecedented insider's view of Cosa Nostra's structure, including the Sicilian Mafia Commission, which had previously been opaque to authorities. This information was instrumental in the Maxi Trial, the largest anti-Mafia trial in history, resulting in hundreds of convictions. Buscetta's later testimony linking Italian politicians to the Mafia, particularly after the murders of Falcone and Borsellino, further expanded the understanding of organized crime's political connections. His cooperation marked a turning point in Italian anti-Mafia efforts, though he lived the rest of his life in hiding under witness protection. His legacy is complex: a former mobster whose revelations reshaped the fight against the Mafia, but who also faced personal tragedy, including the murders of his sons by fellow Mafia members.

Did You Know?

• Buscetta was known as 'The Boss of Two Worlds' due to his criminal activities in Italy, the United States, and Brazil.
• He attempted suicide by ingestion of barbiturates after being extradited to Italy in 1984, before deciding to cooperate.
• Buscetta's testimony led to 475 Mafia members being indicted and 338 convicted in the Maxi Trial.
• He forgave the Mafia member who murdered two of his sons, but only after learning of it later and after the killer was already dead.