TaraDeS — 9 months ago(June 09, 2025 04:54 PM)

Merciless Female Killers in the Shadow of the Capos 🩸​ The 10 most brutal Mafia Women
Are women the nicer gangsters? A certainly prejudiced, but somehow pleasant notion.
And unfortunately completely false. Whether in the Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, or Camorra, while male mafia bosses dominate the Italian clans, women sometimes play a significant role in those criminal networks.
We present ten of the most famous female mafia wives and
godmothers
.
Maria Licciardi
"La Piccolina" was involved in drug business, prostitution and human trafficking.
Hard to believe, but the small, charming Maria Licciardi, a leading figure in the Camorra, the Italian mafia from Naples, was long one of Italy's most wanted criminals. After her brother Gennaro Licciardi died in prison in 1994 and other male successors were arrested or murdered, she took over the leadership of the Licciardi clan. The
mafiosa
was a tactician as cunning as she was ruthless, deepened the alliances between various Camorra clans, securing them a position of power in the drug trade. After disputes over a heroin shipment, one of the bloodiest mafia wars in Campania erupted. Maria Licciardi, nicknamed
"La Piccolina"
due to her small stature, was also involved in human trafficking and prostitution. In spring 2023, the criminal, who served as the inspiration for the character
"Donna Scianel"
in the brutal mafia series
Gomorrah
, was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison at the age of 71 for extortion and various acts of violence, among other things.
Giuseppa "Giusy" Vitale
"Donna d'onore"

Giuseppina Vitale is just one of many women in the Sicilian Cosa Nostra who made a dubious name for herself within organized crime. Even as a child, she regularly visited her male relatives in prison. Giuseppa Vitale, known as Giusy or Giuseppina, is the sister of three notorious mafia bosses from the Palermo area. When her brothers were imprisoned or on the run, she took over the reins. She acted as a mediator between the clan members inside and outside the prison walls, thus participating in important decisions. She became a key witness, breaking the
"omertà"
, the Mafia's code of silence, and testified against her own family.
Today, she lives anonymously in a witness protection program.
Nunzia Graviano
"La Picciridda" = the little girl
Nunzia Graviano is part of the notorious Graviano crime family from Palermo, which plays a significant role within the Sicilian Mafia.
"La Picciridda"
(the little girl) is the sister of Giuseppe, Filippo, and Benedetto Graviano, three influential Mafia capos. The family is linked to some of Italy's most notorious Mafia assassinations, e.g. the bombings in the early 1990s that killed prominent anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. The clan is known for its involvement in many other crimes, including extortion, drug trafficking and murder. Nunzia Graviano is often cited as a key figure. As CEO, she managed the financial assets while her brothers were in prison. She herself was arrested and convicted several times.
Even behind bars, she is said to have avidly followed daily stock market prices. ​
Anna Mazza
"La Signora"
Anna Mazza, also known as
"La Signora"
, led the Moccia clan in Naples for over 20 years. After the death of her husband, Gennaro Moccia, who was killed by assassins from rival clans, she took control of various illegal businesses in the 1970s.
La Signora
even attempted to establish matriarchal structures within the Camorra. She was arrested and convicted several times, but this didn't significantly weaken her power within the organization. She was one of the first women to establish a dominant role within the Camorra and later the first woman to be convicted in connection with mafia crimes.
According to media reports, she died in the fall of 2017 at the age of 80.
Ilenia Bellocco
"Velenia"
​
Ilenia Bellocco belongs to a younger generation of female mafia members and is a member of the Pesce-Bellocco clan of Rosarno, part of the 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia. She's alleged to have coordinated the clan's criminal activities when the capo, her husband Giuseppe Pesce, went into hiding. She passed on orders and collected money from extortion and illegal activities. Ilenia Bellocco led the 'Ndrina, the basic unit of the 'Ndrangheta consisting of blood relatives, with incredible ferocity. Investigators also called her
"Velenia"
, a reference to deadly poisonous snakes.
Assunta Maresca
Assunta "Pupetta" Maresca later avenged her murdered husband Pasquale Simonetti in the street.
"La Pupetta"
(little puppet) was petite, pretty and spoiled – and crowned beauty queen in a town near Naples. But behind the cute nickname lurked a cold-blooded killer. She was a notorious figure in the Camorra. Born into a mafia family, she rose to prominence through her role in a bloody vendetta. In the summer of 1955, her husband, Pasquale Simonetti, was shot dead in a public square in Naples by a hitman from a rival clan. Maresca, p