Rocco Scuderi

**Rocco Scuderi** (born after 1970 - died approx. 2026) was a minor character in the Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles and in the Camorra Chronicles. He was the second son of unknown parents, younger brother to Jacopo and had at least one other unnamed sibling. He was first married to Ludevica and had children Aria, Gianna, Liliana and Fabiano. He married secondly to Maria Brasci and had sons Rocco Jr. and Riccardo.

## Personality

Dante mentions that although Rocco was not as depraved as his father or brother Jacopo he was cunning and brutal. Rocco was an incredibly depraved man who was abusive to his wife and children slapping them as young as five as seen in Bound by the Past. Other people meant nothing to him, he sold his daughters off like cattle uncaring if their husbands would be abusive to them and beating and cutting his son Fabiano before ultimately sending him to die. The only possible exception to this was Dante who he was thankful for due to him killing Jacopo (who was abusive to Rocco) and making him consigliere. He did seem to have genuine loyalty to the Outfit and Dante, choosing it over almost everything. However, when his own life was at risk he was a pathetic coward. Like other men in the mafia, he was very sexist. Dante suspected he agreed with Fiore about women not working but didn't say anything, accurately calling Scuderi an opportunist through and through. He was also completely indifferent about his wife's cancer and subsequent death, only pretending he was a caring husband when others were around and by having a beautiful funeral. Lily mentions in Bound by Temptation he freely gave his children and wife money and luxury but never affection or care. Aria says in Bound by Honor that he believed men don't have time for love and that love is a foolish notion women hope for.

In earlier books, he was still abusive but was arguably more restrained and at least occasionally tolerated his daughters begging to visit Aria. He was also more lenient with Gianna when she pretended to accept her engagement to Matteo. After Gianna's escape and eventually Liliana's leaving, he became more hot-headed and intolerant of anything that didn't please him.

Rocco was capable of showing shallow affection when his children did something that made him look good, like hugging Aria after her wedding night, telling her was proud of her, as well as calling her beautiful before walking her to the altar. This affection however was shallow as he didn't really care for his children as people but rather as commodities for his own wants and needs. After Liliana's wedding to Benito, he hated all his daughters with a passion, even Aria who was his favorite due to her beauty and obedience.

Upon learning Fabiano was alive, Rocco took rash actions to kill him and all the Falcone brothers. At the end of his life, he was a coward who offered all the secrets of the Outfit. He was a strategic genius however and was cunning and intelligent.

## Early Life

His parents names are unknown, but his father was Consigliere of the Outfit. He also had an older brother Jacopo and a nephew from unknown an sibling, Raffaele.

His father was set to pass down the Consigliere title to Jacopo, but when he was killed, in what is believed to be a Bratva gun fight, it is passed on to Rocco. It is revealed in Bound by the Past that Dante Cavallaro had killed Jacopo so that his sister Ines Cavallaro, who was betrothed to him, would not be forced to marry him. Rocco had witnessed this and when Dante was considering killing him to eliminate a witness, he told him that he was happy his brother was gone and then of his plans to poison his father to make it look like a heart attack so that he may become Consigliere. Dante decided to let him live.

At this time he was already married to Ludevica and had daughters Aria and Gianna. They later went on to having two more children Liliana and Fabiano.

## Born in Blood

### Bound by the Past

*Late 1998*

Rocco is first mentioned by Dante, while he is speaking of the cruelty of his older brother Jacopo, Dante mentions that when Rocco is drunk and unable to shut his big mouth, that he will tell Dante horror stories of the things that his brother has done.

### Bound by Honor

Before the start of the book Rocco meets with Salvatore Vitiello, the head of the New York Cosa Nostra, and they came to the agreement that in order for peace to be an option, they had to become family. So he and the Capo of the Chicago Outfit, Fiore Cavallaro, determined that Aria would marry Salvatore's son, Luca.

We first meet Rocco when Aria is summoned to his office. When she enters she notes all the books on the shelves that her father will never read, she said that behind the bookcase in his office, there is an entrance that leads to the basement and to a corridor that leads of the premises. The is also another secret passage that led to the hidden door behind the wall of the lounge. Rocco's father thought them necessary in those two rooms, as those are where the men spent most there time. But Aria wondered if he cared at all about what happened to the women in the other parts of the house.

Rocco then informs his daughter that she is betrothed to Luca Vitiello, the future Capo dei Capi of the New York Famiglia. He went on to explain that the betrothal was being used to end the feud and ensue peace between the Famiglia and the Outfit. They planned to combine their forces to fight the Bratva. He tells her that Salvatore wanted the most beautiful girl for his son, and they couldn't give him the daughter of one of their soldiers. Fiore doesn't have an available daughter, so he said Aria was the most beautiful girl available, noting that not many Italian girls have golden hair like hers.

Rocco wanted the wedding to take place immediately, saying he would give permission, but that his wife begged Fiore to let her finish school and be of age, and Fiore relented and agreed. Aria begged her father to not be forced to marry Luca, but Rocco just responded in anger and told her to be obedient. He then informed her that her engagement party would happen in two months in August, so Luca could see what he as getting and to establish bonds between the two families.

Later at Luca and Aria's engagment party, Aria wore a dress that her father had chosen for the occasion. She was uncertain about it, as she had never worn anything so revealing. The black dress clung to her butt and waist and ended at her upper thighs; the top was a glittery golden bustier with black tulle straps paired with five-inch black heels. When Aria came into the room, Rocco in noted to look like the cat that got the cream. He goes over to Aria, puts a hand on her back and leads her towards the gathered men like a lamb to the slaughter. He steered her straight to Luca with a challenging expression, as if he expected Luca to fall on his knees from awe. But Luca might as well have been staring at a rock, his gray eyes were hard and cold as he focused on Rocco. Fiore then expressed to Luca that he hopes he didn't promise too much, to which Luca simply replies that he didn't, which put Rocco off. He then agreed to let the couple have a few minutes alone, snapped at Fabiano for wanting to stay with Aria and then left.

After dinner, the men all convene in the longue to drink and smoke and discuss whatever else needed to be discussed. After some time he, Fiore and Salvatore convene elsewhere to discuss details leaving only Luca, Matteo, Romero and Cesare in the lounge.

When Luca sends Cesare to summon Umberto and Raffaele to him, Rocco was a step behind them demanding to know the meaning of the summon. Luca says he just wants to speak to those who will protect what is *his,* but Rocco insists they are both good soldiers. Luca says that he would like to decide for himself whether or not to trust them. He questioned Umberto and decided he was a good choice. He then moved onto question Raffaele, to which Raffaele proclaimed that Luca is not a member of the Outfit, that nobody would tell him anything even if he raped Aria. Going on to say that he could break her in for Luca, and even offered to film it for him. Before Aria could even blink, Luca had thrown Raffaele to the ground, dug a knee into his spine and twisted one of his arms behind him. He struggled and cursed but Luca held him fast. One of Lucas hands gripped Raffaele wrist while he reached under his vest with the other, pulling out a knife. Luca looked at Rocco, honor demanded he get permission form the Consigliere since Raffaele wasn't one of his soldiers, Rocco gave a nod and Luca brought the knife down and cut Raffaele pinky off. They heard a female cry echo through the walls, Rocco went and opened a secret door revealing Aria and Gianna. When they came out Rocco slapped Gianna across the face and then went to do the same to Aria when Luca stepped in. Rocco was enraged, and everyone in the room, with the exception of Raffaele whom was huddled on the floor, whimpering over his hand, had their weapons drawn. Luca then proclaimed that Aria is no longer Rocco's responsibility. That he no longer had the right to punish her when he made her Luca's fiancée, and that she is his to deal with now. Rocco agreed, but then said that since she will be living under his roof until the wedding, that he will have to find another way to make Aria obey him. He then slapped Gianna again, telling Aria that for everyone of her wrongdoings, Gianna will get the punishment in her stead. Umberto then took them both back to their rooms on Rocco's orders.

Rocco is seen again when they all travel to New York for the wedding, which is being held in the vast gardens of the Vitiello mansion in the Hamptons. The Scuderi family stayed in suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manhattan, Salvatore suggested that they live in one of the many rooms in the mansion until the weeding in five days, but Rocco declined, as even after three years, they still did not trust each other. The three sisters share a suite, while Rocco and Ludevica have another.

The day before the wedding the Scuderi moved out of the Mandarin Oriental into the Vitiello Mansion in the Hamptons, where workers were busy setting the pavilion that would serve as the church for the ceremony the next day.

***To be continued...***

### Bound by Temptation

After Ludevica died of cancer, he married secondly to Maria Brasci, the daughter of Benito Brasci whom he married his daughter Lilliana to in exchange. He and Maria had sons Rocco Jr. and Riccardo.

After his youngest daughter Liliana kills her first husband and runs away with Romero Cancio, Rocco blames Fabiano. Once his his first son with his new wife Maria Scuderi is born months later, he deems Fabiano no longer worthy of the Outfit and sends Alfonso to kill his oldest son. Alfonso secretly instead dumps Fabiano in Russian territory and gives him money. Rocco tells everyone that Fabiano defected from the Outfit and ran away.

Six years later, Rocco finds out that Fabiano is still alive and part of the Camorra. He demands that the Outfit attack Las Vegas and Fabiano be put to death, but Dante Cavallaro refuses, saying they need information first. Rocco was revealed to be behind the attack in Las Vegas to kill Fabiano-and had done so without Dante's permission-therefore starting a war between the Camorra and the Outfit. He is stripped of his title and imprisoned until his exchanging for the freedom of Serafina Mione after her kidnapping. He was repeatedly tortured by Romero, Matteo Vitiello, and Fabiano for his mistreatment of his children over the years. He is eventually killed by Fabiano, who was now Enforcer of the Camorra, and Remo Falcone, Capo of the Camorra.

## Appearances

* *Luca Vitiello*
* *Bound by Honor*
* *Bound by Duty*
* *Bound by Hatred*
* *Bound by Temptation*
* *Bound by Love*
* *Bound by the Past*
* *Twisted Loyalties*
* *Twisted Pride*