Usury and silence in Trapani: funds and tools are available, but reports are lacking

The scene is one we've seen before. When the mafia was in power, incredibly there were no reports of extortion crimes in the Prosecutor's Office. Yet in the investigations, this reality emerged clearly. It wasn't “protection money” but, as explained by a magistrate during a prosecution speech, pm Andrea Tarondo, in Trapani, entrepreneurs paid the membership fee to Cosa nostra, almost as if it were a club, useful when it came to planning deals and agreements, finding shortcuts to reach politicians or bureaucrats, to have doors opened that remained closed to non-friends. Now the same thing is happening with usury. According to the logs of law enforcement, Courts and the Prosecutor's Office, the phenomenon does not exist, yet you can smell it, the merchant and the entrepreneur, or even the ordinary citizen, who struggles to get by and then encounters someone who officially owns nothing but walks around in a luxury car or owns large villas.

Yesterday, there was a meeting at the prefecture called by prefect Daniela Lupo, with the extraordinary commissioner for the fight against racketeering and usury, prefect Maria Grazia Nicolò, present. The occasion was to present the Anti-Usury Handbook. Also present were police chief Giuseppe Felice Peritore, the presidents of the Courts of Trapani and Marsala, Alessandra Camassa and Alfonso Malato, the prosecutors of Trapani and Marsala, Antonella Trainito and Roberto Piscitello, and Claudio Passerini, secretary of the regional commission of the Italian Banking Association.

The data that emerged is of a demoralizing clarity. In 2025, not a single report was filed, in the Court of Trapani there are two proceedings in progress, in Marsala out of nine proceedings initiated, seven have been archived. In the prefecture in 2025, three requests were submitted, only one was granted benefits, in 2024 seven, and in 2023 eleven.

The “Protocol of Understanding for the Prevention and Contrast of Usury” was highlighted, signed on June 5, 2024 between the Prefecture U.T.G. of Trapani and the Italian Banking Association (A.B.I.). A contribution to the in-depth analysis of the phenomenon of usury in the provincial territory and the countermeasures provided by the legal framework, with particular reference to the possibility of obtaining the suspension or extension of deadlines related to administrative obligations. The Prefect, Daniela Lupo, emphasized the importance of collaboration between institutions, the banking system, and trade associations, in order to prevent recourse to illegal credit and promote access to legal financing channels, while also highlighting the coordinating role played by the Prefecture. The Government's Extraordinary Commissioner for the Coordination of Anti-Racket and Anti-Usury Initiatives, Prefect Maria Grazia Nicolò, illustrated the role of the Commissioner's Office and the activities carried out at the national level to support victims of usury and extortion, focusing in particular on the protective measures provided by current legislation and the opportunities offered by the Rotating Fund for Solidarity for victims of mafia-type crimes, extortion requests, usury, and intentional violent crimes, as well as for orphans of domestic crimes.

But the reality is disconcerting, Chief of Police Peritore highlighted the low propensity to report despite the full availability of the Police Forces to work in synergy with institutions and associations, in order to strengthen prevention activities. Among the cases mentioned by the magistrates, prosecutor Antonella Trainito recalled two incidents where the usury rates applied had reached 300 percent. Often complex investigations due to the victim's behavior, reluctant to speak, almost out of shame. Just as happens in cases of code red, the victim who does not speak due to embarrassment, discomfort, or modesty. The Anti-Usury Handbook is considered a useful tool to inform and support victims, also in terms of gathering elements and documentation. A reflection was dedicated to Article 20 of Law No. 44 of 1999, which provides for the suspension of deadlines related to administrative obligations and enforcement procedures in favor of victims who report, highlighting how this tool represents significant protection for those who decide to cooperate with institutions. There is a need to plan a precise action to strengthen prevention through information in the territory, promoting an increasing awareness of the available protective tools and encouraging victims to confidently approach institutions: initiatives aimed at the prevention of usury, over-indebtedness, and poor money management, financial education, and a greater understanding of the tools available for victims of racketeering and usury.

“You cannot access the fund if you do not report – said the prefect commissioner Nicolò – and you must become a civil party in the criminal proceedings,” to date the State has allocated about 15 million euros to support victims, the funds are there, but there are no reports.