Judicial Development in the Case of Lorena Lanceri, Accused of Aiding Mafia Boss

A new judicial development has emerged in the case of Lorena Lanceri, who was arrested in March 2023 on charges of assisting Matteo Messina Denaro during his long period of hiding. Today, the Palermo Court of Appeals, First Criminal Section, has decided to replace the preventive detention measure with house arrest.

The decision comes following a petition by Lanceri's lawyers, Giuseppe Ferro and Clizia Ferro.

From 'Provider' to the Boss to Reduced Sentence

Lanceri was initially arrested alongside her husband, accused of being Messina Denaro's 'provider,' meaning she allegedly supplied logistical support, assistance, and cover during his fugitive period. In the first instance, tried under an abbreviated procedure, she was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months in prison for external participation in a mafia association.

However, the situation changed on appeal. In December 2024, the same court, accepting the defense's arguments, reclassified the facts from external participation to aggravated aiding and abetting and procured evasion of punishment. Consequently, her sentence was reduced to 5 years and 8 months.

Diminished Preventive Needs

Given the new classification of the crime and the time elapsed, the court today deemed that the preventive needs had diminished, thus ordering the woman's release and placing her under house arrest.