Search results for "Criminal networks"
showing 5 items of 5 documents
Robust link prediction in criminal networks: A case study of the Sicilian Mafia
2020
Abstract Link prediction exercises may prove particularly challenging with noisy and incomplete networks, such as criminal networks. Also, the link prediction effectiveness may vary across different relations within a social group. We address these issues by assessing the performance of different link prediction algorithms on a mafia organization. The analysis relies on an original dataset manually extracted from the judicial documents of operation “Montagna”, conducted by the Italian law enforcement agencies against individuals affiliated with the Sicilian Mafia. To run our analysis, we extracted two networks: one including meetings and one recording telephone calls among suspects, respect…
Social Network Analysis of Sicilian Mafia Interconnections
2019
In this paper, we focus on the study of Sicilian Mafia organizations through Social Network Analysis. We analyse datasets reflecting two different Mafia Families, based on examinations of digital trails and judicial documents, respectively. The first dataset includes the phone calls logs among suspected individuals. The second one is based on police traces of meeting that have taken place among different types of criminals. Our breakthrough is twofold. First in the method followed to generate these new datasets. Second, in the method used to carry out a quantitative phenomena investigation that are hard to evaluate. Our networks are weighted ones, with each weight catching the frequency of …
Graph Comparison and Artificial Models for Simulating Real Criminal Networks
2021
Network Science is an active research field, with numerous applications in areas like computer science, economics, or sociology. Criminal networks, in particular, possess specific topologies which allow them to exhibit strong resilience to disruption. Starting from a dataset related to meetings between members of a Mafia organization which operated in Sicily during 2000s, we here aim to create artificial models with similar properties. To this end, we use specific tools of Social Network Analysis, including network models (Barabási-Albert identified to be the most promising) and metrics which allow us to quantify the similarity between two networks. To the best of our knowledge, the DeltaCo…
Multilayer Network Analysis: The Identification of Key Actors in a Sicilian Mafia Operation
2021
Recently, Social Network Analysis studies have led to an improvement and to a generalization of existing tools to networks with multiple subsystems and layers of connectivity. These kind of networks are usually called multilayer networks. Multilayer networks in which each layer shares at least one node with some other layer in the network are called multiplex networks. Being a multiplex network does not require all nodes to exist on every layer. In this paper, we built a criminal multiplex network which concerns an anti-mafia operation called “Montagna” and it is based on the examination of a pre-trial detention order issued on March 14, 2007 by the judge for preliminary investigations of t…
Social network analysis: the use of graph distances to compare artificial and criminal networks
2021
Aim: Italian criminal groups become more and more dangerous spreading their activities into new sectors. A criminal group is made up of networks of hundreds of family gangs which extended their influence across the world, raking in billions from drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering. We focus in particular on the analysis of the social structure of two Sicilian crime families and we used a Social Network Analysis approach to study the social phenomena. Starting from a real criminal network extracted from meetings emerging from the police physical surveillance during 2000s, we here aim to create artificial models that present similar properties. Methods: We use specific tools of s…