Pietro Caruso

Born in Campania in 1899, he fought in the Bersaglieri in the final months of World War I and participated in Gabriele D'Annunzio's occupation of Fiume in 1920–1921.

After the Armistice of Cassibile he joined the Italian Social Republic, and organized the confiscation of the gold belonging to the Jewish population of Trieste.

One of the victims, Maurizio Giglio, had been one of Caruso's own lieutenants, but had been arrested seven days earlier as a secret agent working for the Allies through OSS.

The high court of justice also condemned Roberto Occhietto, Caruso's secretary and co-defendant, to 30 years' imprisonment on the same collaboration charge.

The eight-man high court, presided over by judge Lorenzo Maroni, heard prosecutor Mario Berlinguer characterize the two defendants as “wild beasts” and the verdicts were delivered after two hours' deliberation.