Danilo Abbruciati

Early Life and Background

Danilo Abbruciati, known as "Er Camaleonte" (The Chameleon), was born on October 4, 1944, in the Trionfale neighborhood of Rome, Italy. The son of Otello Abbruciati, a renowned Italian boxer nicknamed "Il Moro" (The Moor) for his dark complexion, Danilo grew up in a working-class family that later relocated to Primavalle, another Rome neighborhood. Following in his father’s footsteps, he briefly trained as a boxer but lacked the discipline and rigor required, leading him to abandon the sport.

Criminal Beginnings

Abbruciati’s criminal career began in his late teens when he joined a group of young men from Rome’s affluent circles. This group, dubbed the "Gang dei Camaleonti" by the press, specialized in burglaries targeting wealthy neighborhoods in Rome between 1964 and 1965. His involvement earned him his first conviction, a four-year prison sentence. During his time in a Milan prison, Abbruciati forged a significant connection with Francis Turatello, a prominent Milanese crime boss, which introduced him to the "Banda dei Marsigliesi," a notorious criminal syndicate led by figures like Maffeo Bellicini, Albert Bergamelli, and Jacques Berenguer.

Rise in the Underworld

By the early 1970s, Abbruciati had established himself as a seasoned criminal. In 1967, he began a relationship with Claudia De Cristofaris, and their daughter was born in 1970. However, his personal life was tumultuous; in 1971, Claudia reported him for assault, maltreatment, and kidnapping, reflecting his violent tendencies. By 1972, Abbruciati was involved in high-stakes robberies and was spotted in Pescara alongside other criminals like Maurizio Massaria, Ernesto Diotallevi, and Carlo Faiella. His reputation grew as he navigated Rome’s criminal landscape, engaging in feuds and alliances.

Conflicts and Vendettas

Abbruciati’s criminal career was marked by violent rivalries. In 1976, a dispute with Roberto "Bebo" Belardinelli over a nightclub altercation escalated into a personal war. Belardinelli’s attacks, including bombings and a fatal ambush meant for Abbruciati that killed Umbertino Cappellari instead, intensified the conflict. Another feud with Massimo Barbieri stemmed from Barbieri’s disrespectful behavior toward Abbruciati’s family. When Abbruciati’s attempt to kill Barbieri failed due to a jammed pistol, he brutally beat him. Barbieri retaliated by shooting Abbruciati in the temple, but the bullet lodged in his skull without killing him. Abbruciati delayed removing the bullet until he could exact revenge. In 1982, with Enrico De Pedis, he tortured and killed Barbieri, whose mutilated body was found in a Ladispoli dump.

Banda della Magliana

In the late 1970s, Abbruciati joined the Banda della Magliana, a powerful Roman crime syndicate led by figures like Franco Giuseppucci, Maurizio Abbatino, and Enrico "Renatino" De Pedis. His prior experience with Turatello and connections to Cosa Nostra, particularly through drug trafficking networks, made him a key figure. Known for his independence, Abbruciati operated as a "lone wolf" within the group, focusing on drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering. His nickname "Er Camaleonte" reflected his ability to infiltrate high society, including ties to Sardinian real estate developers and corrupt politicians. He also collaborated with fascists like Massimo Carminati, recycling proceeds from their robberies into the Banda’s illicit ventures.

The Banco Ambrosiano Affair and Death

Abbruciati’s most infamous act was his involvement in the attempted assassination of Roberto Rosone, vice president of Banco Ambrosiano, on April 27, 1982, in Milan. Commissioned by Ernesto Diotallevi, acting as an intermediary for Flavio Carboni and Cosa Nostra boss Pippo Calò, Abbruciati traveled to Milan with Bruno Nieddu. The attack was linked to the financial dealings of Banco Ambrosiano and its president, Roberto Calvi which was involved in money laundering with the Vatican bank (IOR). During the ambush, Abbruciati’s Beretta pistol jammed, allowing him only to wound Rosone in the leg. As he fled on a motorcycle driven by Nieddu, a security guard, Franco Germi, fatally shot Abbruciati in the back. Police found international driver’s licenses from the Dominican Republic and Nigeria on his body, along with a matchbox bearing a phone number linked to Diotallevi’s sister-in-law, Mirella Fiorani. This links him to Operation Gladio which orchestrated terroism and coups in both Dominican Republic and Nigeria.

Legacy and Mysteries

Abbruciati’s death at age 37 shocked both his associates and investigators, who questioned why a high-ranking boss would personally undertake such a risky hit. The official explanation—that he was paid 50 million lire—seemed implausible to peers like Maurizio Abbatino, who doubted Abbruciati would act as a mere hitman. The mandators, Diotallevi and Carboni, were initially convicted but acquitted in 1999, while Nieddu received a 10-year sentence. Abbruciati’s life inspired the character Nembo Kid in Giancarlo De Cataldo’s 2002 novel Romanzo Criminale and was portrayed by Bruno Bilotta in the 2002 film The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair. His story remains a complex chapter in Italy’s history of organized crime, intertwined with political corruption and financial scandals. One theory as to why the assassination attempt on Rosone was not delegated to an underling is the pending investigation into Banco Ambrosiano. The Vatican Bank's director, Paul Marcinkus, was money laundering the drug money for these networks and Rosone had demanded his partner in crime and Rosone's boss to resign. He also demanded a call on all loans to the Vatican bank that had been used to embezzle monies into shell companies set up by the Vatican bank, according to author Paul Williams in his book Operation Gladio. Williams also reveals that on May 31, 1982 the Bank of Italy wrote of Rosone's boss Roberto Calvi requesting a full accounting of the lending tot he Vatican Bank's eight shell companies. The board authorized the bank to comply despite Calvi's protest.