Born in
Arzana, in the now
Province of Ogliastra in
Sardinia, he was known from an early age to the police for his criminal record. He took part in the kidnappings of Cristina Peruzzi in
Montepulciano in 1981, and Ludovica Rangoni Macchiavelli and Patrizia Bauer in
Bologna in 1983. He was arrested in April 1984 in
Riccione and sentenced to 30 years in prison. In prison he behaved like a model prisoner, obtaining numerous premium leave permits. During one of these permits, granted in January 1997, he did not return to prison and went into hiding. He subsequently was involved in the kidnapping in June 1997 of Giuseppe Soffiantini, a textile entrepreneur from
Brescia (he was the guardian of the hostage) and the murder of the policeman Samuele Donatoni, crimes for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment and 30 years respectively in 2002. He was strongly suspected for the
kidnapping of Silvia Melis in 1997, although he was never formally charged. It cannot be excluded that he may be dead, perhaps killed by Giovanni Farina, an accomplice in the kidnapping of Soffiantini, for not dividing the US$4 million ransom money that was paid in February 1998. However, in June 2012, ''
L'Unione Sarda'' reported that he was seen in the
Gennargentu mountains on Sardinia. According to investigators, the fugitive may enjoy the protection of family and friends. He is not considered a protagonist of the Anonima sarda, but rather a low-level accomplice, without the revolutionary instinct or
separatist claims of his partner in many raids, Giovanni Farina. ==References==