The Navy awarded contracts to a mafia-indicted contractor
Evidence
In the 1990s, three major janitorial, grounds keeping, and maintenance contractors at Sicily’s Sigonella naval base were revealed to have Mafia ties. According to court rulings, the controlling partner in the three companies, Carmelo La Mastra, was part of attempts to intimidate a competitor into withdrawing a contract bid. A U.S. court found that it was “probably in connection with that bid” that another firm’s owner was killed. La Mastra’s companies were placed under legal receivership, and he was indicted for his role in a “Mafia-type association” and bid rigging. Yet in 1999, the Navy awarded La Mastra’s three companies a major base maintenance contract, stating they had they had “a satisfactory record of performance, integrity, and business ethics.” — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 370
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
Related
- The Navy awarded Mafia-linked contractors despite murder and bid-rigging indictments (similarity 0.95)
- Organized crime extorted subcontractors working on U.S. base construction in Italy. (similarity 0.81)
- Lease-construction contracts produced shoddy bases built by mafia firms (similarity 0.79)
- Political connections and suspected payoffs influenced the U.S. contract award to the Coppolas. (similarity 0.79)
- Navy lease-construction contracts structurally encouraged mafia involvement (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- US military construction contractors operated in Italy with mafia-connected business partners
#exemplifies(0.60) — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 355 - Lease-construction contracts produced shoddy bases built by mafia firms
#expands(0.50) — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 368