Jailed mafia suspect hangs himself

PALERMO, Italy, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A previously convicted mafia member jailed along with nearly 100 other suspected organized crime family members in Italy hanged himself in his cell, police say.

Gaetano Lo Presti, 52, allegedly committed suicide Tuesday evening while in custody in Palermo after reading police wiretap transcripts implicating him in efforts to re-establish the Cosa Nostra's provincial "commission," ANSA reported Wednesday.

The Italian news agency said the Mafia crime syndicate has been without a strong leader in the province of Palermo the past year since the arrest of Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who took over following the April 2006 arrest of Bernardo Provenzano.

Investigators the arrest of dozens of Mafia members took place before a new godfather could be selected.