The Social Media Life of a Mafia Boss: Matteo Messina Denaro's Double Identity

 Behind the pages of Facebook and Instagram lurked the face of one of Italy's most dangerous fugitives. Matteo Messina Denaro, a Cosa Nostra boss who had been on the run for thirty years and a symbol of the mafia's deadly campaigns, led a parallel life on social media. Under the fictitious identity of "Francesco Averna," a surgeon who graduated from Bocconi University and was single, the true face of the mafia boss was hidden.

An unsuspected life as an "ordinary man." On Facebook, "Francesco Averna" had a small number of friends, only five. On Instagram, however, he was more active, with 447 profiles followed and 63 followers. A limited network of contacts, but significant for someone living in the shadows. His online life was that of an ordinary man: he frequented bars and gyms, with a puppy as his profile picture. A seemingly quiet existence, unsuspicious.

Social media for communicating in secret. Despite his aversion to cell phones ("I've never had one"), Denaro used social media to communicate privately. Messages with women and contacts with people who allowed him to live his double life.

Reconstructing the fugitive life through social media. Now, the aim of the investigators is to reconstruct his time on the run and identify his accomplices. Social networks could prove to be a goldmine of information to understand who helped him stay hidden for so long.

Denaro's arrest has already led to 14 arrests. These include his sister Rosalia and his trusted confidant Andrea Bonafede. Investigations are continuing to identify all those who helped the boss evade justice for so long.

Messina Denaro's use of social media shows how the mafia has evolved. Criminals no longer hide only in the back alleys, but exploit new technologies to communicate and manage their illicit activities. A warning to law enforcement agencies, who will need to adapt their methods to combat this new frontier of organized crime.