De Falco ran for a seat in the Senate with the Five Star Movement in the 2018 general election and was elected.

He was a member of the left-wing of the Movement and is considered to be very close to the President of the Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico. On 31 December 2018, De Falco was expelled from the Movement after being accused of having violated the code of ethics of the Movement several times. In an interview, he declared that he was expelled for voting against the decree “Decreto sicurezza”, and accused the Five Star Movement of lacking democracy and freedom of choice.

He is best known for his intervention in the attempt to solve the Costa Concordia disaster in January 2012.

On 13 January 2012, the Costa Concordia cruise ship, owned by the Costa Crociere shipping company and under the command of Captain Francesco Schettino, impacted a rock in the waters of Isola del Giglio, reporting the opening of a 70-meter-long hole on the left side, followed by the partial submersion of the ship.

De Falco, who led the Captaincy in Livorno, assumed the coordination of the rescues to the cruise unit in difficulty. During the radio and telephone communications between the operating room of the Livorno Captaincy and the Costa Concordia, taken by De Falco and Schettino, the naval officer ordered, in vain, for the captain of the Costa Concordia, who had abandoned ship, to return to the vessel. De Falco’s order Vada a bordo, cazzo! (transl. Get the fuck back on board! ) became very popular.

With the rank of lieutenant, De Falco was assigned the Command in Santa Margherita Ligure, where he stood from 2003 to 2005.

In 2000, De Falco left Livorno joining the Captaincy in Genoa.

After graduating in Law at the University of Milan, in 1994 De Falco joined the Corps of the Port Captaincies in Livorno, studying at the Naval Academy.

Gregorio De Falco (born 8 March 1965) is an Italian naval officer and politician, currently a member of the Italian Senate.