Maria Giordano (Pentito)
Maria Gordiano (born October 23, 1981 in Backnang ) is a key witness against the 'Ndrangheta , the Calabrian mafia .
Life
Maria was born in Germany in an Italian guest worker family from the small southern Italian port town of Rossano . The families returned to their hometown when Maria was three years old.
When Maria was 12, they returned to Germany . Since an archaic image of the family prevailed in the family , the daughters were not allowed to attend school. Honor, shame and tradition are the framework conditions of trade and women are married by the age of 15. Maria hadn't learned German.
Maria therefore worked in a diner and a factory. She and her sister want to break out of this compulsion and try to flee to Italy , which failed at the Bologna train station .
During a vacation in Rossano, the 16-year-old met 22-year-old Pascale Rezo and eventually married him, although a family judge twice refused to marry the minors because Pascale was not of good repute and was known as a professional criminal.
The family went to Germany where the first child of the family is born. Pascale also made her an accomplice and she was used as a drug courier, among other things. The marriage was very violent, as the husband did not tolerate any contradiction. Maria was threatened with death and mistreated.
In 2007, after 17 years of marriage, Maria decided to escape from this relationship. She left her husband and was in the Italian police's witness protection program from 2010 to 2016 , becoming a Pentito .
Maria left the witness protection program as she was tracked down in Italy and returned to Germany.
She testified in several trials; especially in the course of Operation Stop , during which raids were carried out on Rossano and their statements led to convictions.
The ex-husband also lives in Germany and has an official ban on contact .
literature
David Schraven, Maik Meuser, Wigbert Löer: The Mafia in Germany: Crown witness Maria G. unpacks , Econ Verlag , Berlin 2017, 288 pages, ISBN 978-3-430-20226-8
Web links
- Maria and the Mafia - A key witness unpacks ; an RTL documentary from 2017
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Giordano, Maria |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gordiano, Maria |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian key witness |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 23, 1981 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Backnang , Germany |