Mafia Boss Betrayed By Facebook 214
An anonymous reader writes "One of Italy's 100 most-wanted criminals, a vicious mafia boss who had been on the run for months, was betrayed by his passion for social networking and flushed out thanks to Facebook. Using the name 'Scarface' from the gangster movie starring Al Pacino, Pasquale Manfredi, 33, a boss of the the ferocious 'Ndrangheta mafia organization from the Calabria region in southern Italy, had logged on to his Facebook account so often that police were able to trace the signal from his Internet key and find his hideout.' Seems the Mafia Wars Facebook phenomenon goes deeper than it seemed!"
Trace the signal from his internet key? (Score:5, Interesting)
WTH is that supposed to mean?
why do these mafia bosses live like peasants? (Score:3, Interesting)
when they arrested the boss of bosses in Sicily a few years ago he was in a farmhouse running from the cops and sleeping in a different house every night. this guy lived in a basement. why do people choose a life where they have millions of $$$/Euros but have to live where they can't show it off and like they are poor?
Re:why do these mafia bosses live like peasants? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's not always so. Some mafia bosses have been known to hide in pathetic basements for years, and indeed the parent poster's question makes a lot of sense. It seems that these people's kick ain't money but power and respect, and in mafia subculture the latter aren't tied to money. And those who make an excessive show of wealth are often snubbed as parvenus, kids without the balls etc etc. because money is a proxy for power only when power isn't apparent - and thus not existent.
That of course may change depending by geographical area, exact type of mafia (mafia proper from Sicily, 'ndrangheta from Calabria, camorra from Campania) etc., but basically it's the way it is with those dorks.