49 Sicilian mafia members sentenced in Italy

A court in Italy has sentenced 49 members of the Sicilian crime cartel, some of whom received up to 20 years in prison, for extorting local businessmen, reports the BBC.

According to investigators, the mafiosi demanded money from shop owners in exchange for protection from criminals. If businessmen refused to pay, they were beaten, their shops set on fire or killed.

According to official figures, up to 80 percent of businessmen in the capital of Sicily, Palermo, use the help of the mafia from attacks in exchange for money.

All convicts belong to the Lo Piccolo crime family. The arrest of one of the "godfathers" of the Sicilian mafia, Salvatore Lo Piccolo, was reported in 2007, but whether he was among the 49 sentenced is not reported.