Police in Italy have seized a crocodile they say was used by a local mob boss to intimidate businessmen.
An official with the anti-Mafia unit says the man used the pet to scare people he was demanding protection money from.
He says the man used to invite people over to his house and threaten to set the crocodile on them if they didn’t pay or grant him favors.
The crocodile weighed about 90 pounds and was about six feet long and was fed a diet of live rabbits and mice, according to police.
The mobster was not arrested but placed under investigation for illegal possession of an animal. Police say they are also working on extortion charges against him.
The crocodile is now being cared for by Italy’s forestry service.
[...] Mob Boss has his crocodile seized [...]