Francesco Vottari

Who is Francesco Vottari?

Francesco Vottari, also known as Cicciu u Frunzu, is a boss of the 'Ndrangheta from San Luca in Calabria. He is the son of Giuseppe Vottari. He is married with Maria Pelle, the daughter of Antonio Pelle, the capo crimine of the organisation.

He is one the bosses of the Pelle-Vottari-Romeo clan, involved in a bloody feud with the Strangio-Nirta clan since 1991. Both clans are based in San Luca, and the vendetta between the two clans is known as the San Luca feud. The conflict received significant public attention on August 15, 2007, when six men belonging to the Pelle-Vottari-Romeo clan were shot dead in their cars in front of a pizzeria near the train station of Duisburg in western Germany.

Italian police drastically heightened security measures in San Luca as a result, and stepped up operations against both clans. Vottari managed to avoid capture in a major police raid on San Luca two weeks after the Duisburg killings. However, he was arrested on October 12, 2007, while he tried to hide under his bed.

On July 12, 2011, the Criminal Court in Locri sentenced Vottari to life imprisonment for the Duisburg killings.