Mafia hit man apologizes; Italians indignant at his release

ROME (AP) — One of Italy’s most notorious mobsters-turned-informants has been released from prison, generating indignation among Italians. Giovanni Brusca, 64, was freed this week after serving 25 years of a life term for some of Cosa Nostra’s most heinous crimes. Brusca reportedly admitted to participating in some 150 homicides as the right-hand man to Cosa Nostra’s “boss of bosses,” Salvatore “Toto” Riina, who died in prison in 2017. Brusca’s early release repulsed many Italians and prompted calls to reform laws that allow for reduced sentences for mafiosi who break the mobster wall of silence and cooperate with investigators. Brusca was shown in an old jailhouse interview apologizing to his many victims for his role in “this factory of death.”