After returning from the United States

Chico Forti transferred to Verona: he asked for leave to see his mother

The 65-year-old Trentino man sentenced to life imprisonment in the US for murder in 2000 returned to Italy on Saturday, welcomed by Prime Minister Meloni

by Redaction Rome

18 May 2024

Chico Forti, la Premier Meloni lascia Pratica di Mare

4' min read

Key points

Meloni: proud of government work, thanks to USA
Tajani: great government action and diplomacy
conviction and imprisonment
Producer and presenter
In Italy 5 years after transfer request
Forti: "I want to hug my mother again. I am innocent"

4' min read

Chico Forti , the 65-year-old man from Trento who was released a few days ago from a Florida prison after a long detention and arrived in Italy on Saturday, welcomed by the premier Giorgia Meloni, was transferred to the Montorio prison in Verona after spending the night in Rebibbia Nuovo Complesso. As soon as he arrived at the Verona prison, Chico Forti applied to the competent offices for urgent leave to reach Trento to see his mother. The woman, Maria Lonar Forti, is 96 years old and has not seen her son since 2008. Filippo Turetta, among others, is also detained in Montorio: the prison was the scene of the lunch with the detainees that Pope Francis made during his visit to the city.

The arrival in Italy from the United States

The plane with Forti on board had landed the previous Thursday at Pratica di Mare military airport. 'I can't wait to hug my mother again' were his first words. Later, he reiterated his innocence: 'To be extradited, I had to plead guilty'. Forti also appeared visibly moved during the meeting with Prime Minister Meloni, whom he thanked.

Meloni: proud of government work, thanks to USA

'Chico Forti is back in Italy. I am proud of the work of the Italian government. I would like to thank Italian diplomacy and the US authorities again for their cooperation,' commented Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Palazzo Chigi sources emphasise that 'the operation was made possible thanks to the authoritativeness and confidentiality of the Italian Government, which, together with the Department of Justice, carried out fruitful work in close collaboration with the State of Florida and with the support of all the Italian Administrations involved. Negotiations between Italy and the US had intensified in recent years without, however, reaching the result achieved today'.

Tajani: great government action and diplomacy

'You get these results when you work in silence, without making controversy,' commented Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. 'This is certainly a great action by the government, but also by our diplomacy,' he added, 'we have been working since we took office so that Chico Forti can serve the second part of his detention in an Italian prison. 'It seems to us a right choice,' he concluded, 'that protects the interest of an Italian citizen who has behaved impeccably as a detainee in the United States and who can continue to be a model detainee also in an Italian prison.

Conviction and Imprisonment

Forti was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Dale Pike in June 2000 and had been transferred from the Florida State Prison to Miami to a federal facility by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "For me now the rebirth begins," Chico had told people close to him shortly before his transfer.

Manufacturer and Presenter

Born in Trento in 1959, Forti dedicated an early part of his life to sport, distinguishing himself particularly in windsurfing. In the 1990s, he moved to Florida where he embarked on a career as a documentary film producer and television presenter, and also engaged in real estate brokerage. In 1998, he was involved in the murder of Dale Pike, for which he has always maintained his innocence. On 15 June 2000, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for the crime by a Dade County jury in Miami. After a particularly long process and a years-long confrontation, the authorisation for the transfer had been announced by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, following a discussion in Washington with US President Joe Biden on 1 March.

In Italy 5 years after transfer request

The transfer proceedings were opened under the Strasbourg Convention in December 2019, when Forti, through his defence counsel, expressed his wish to be transferred to Italy. Before that, however, this would not have been possible as the 65-year-old had until then refused to recognise the conviction. Then, in February 2024, the political knot with the US was untied by Palazzo Chigi and the government, which concerned in particular the so-called 'end of sentence never' rule, which is not provided for by Italian jurisdiction but is instead applied in Florida. In March, then, the Minister of Justice started the coordination of procedures by signing the decree with which, based on the Strasbourg Convention, he asked the Court of Appeal of Trento to promote the recognition of the irrevocable criminal sentence issued in June 2000 by the Florida court. On 17 April, the Trento Court of Appeal pronounced the sentence recognising the US verdict and finally the Attorney General of Trento issued the execution order.

Forti: 'I want to hug my mother again. I am innocent'

Once on Italian soil, Chico Forti's first words were for her: 'I can't wait to hug my mother again, I have dreamed of this moment every day'. 'I have dreamed of this moment every day, it is the reason I have managed to hold on', Forti then said in an interview with Tg1, reaffirming his innocence: 'The only reason I accepted extradition is because, at the beginning, in order to have extradition I had to plead guilty: I would never have done it, it was against my principle,' Forti himself explained. On the future, he added, 'I always see the glass half full, I am positive. I accept this step, I know it is obligatory. It is for my mother that I have kept myself this way, I hope to be able to visit her soon. I thank many people: my uncle, Giorgia Meloni, a fantastic person, the whole government has helped me, even Andrea Bocelli'.

Oppositions ask to do the same with Salis

The opposition is mostly silent. Exceptions are some members of Avs, Azione and Iv. The Green Left Alliance points the finger at the 'double standards, typical of the right, between Forti and Ilaria Salis'. "Forti, while always proclaiming his innocence, was sentenced to 22 years for murder in the USA," recalls Senate group leader De Cristofaro, "and was welcomed by the president of the council in person. Also for Enrico Costa (Az) 'satisfaction for the successful diplomatic action is fine, but the Prime Minister going to welcome him at the airport makes no sense'. "It is a success for Italy, thanking the government. When one of our citizens is detained abroad it is right to bring him back home, it happened with D'Alema with Silvia Baraldini, with us with the two Marò,' says Iv leader Matteo Renzi. 'Now I hope that Meloni will do the same with Salis,' adds the former premier.