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135-652: The Rizzuto crime family ( Italian: [ritˈtsuːto] ) is an Italian-Canadian organized crime family based in Montreal , Quebec , whose activity covers most of southern Quebec and Ontario . The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States considers the family a faction of the Bonanno crime family of New York City , while Canadian and most other international law enforcement agencies recognize it as an independent family. The Rizzuto family

270-550: A St. John's courthouse, but when the RCMP overstepped the bounds of Rizzuto's warrant by wiretapping restaurant conversations between Rizzuto and his lawyer, the Newfoundland Supreme Court dropped the case. Later that year, Rizzuto was arrested again for conspiring to import hashish into Canada. Drug dealer Normand Dupuis was ready to testify against him for a reduced prison sentence, monetary compensation and

405-603: A 10-year prison sentence on May 4, 2007, after being extradited to the United States. After Rizzuto was arrested in 2004, a committee of caretaker leaders for Vito Rizzuto was formed of Nicolo Rizzuto , Paolo Renda , Rocco Sollecito , Francesco Arcadi , Lorenzo Giordano and Francesco Del Balso . On February 11, 2005, the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia (DIA) arrested Giuseppe Zappia, an Italian engineer at his luxury villa outside of Rome on charges of fraud in connection with his efforts to win

540-541: A 2.6 percent decrease from the 1,587,970 population of the 2016 census. From the 1,587,970, 671,510 were single ethnic origin responses, while the remaining 874,880 were multiple ethnic origin responses. The majority live in Ontario, over 900,000, (seven percent of the population), while over 300,000 live in Quebec (four percent of the population) — constituting for almost 80 percent of the national population. As of 2021, of

675-701: A Canadian embassy in Rome and an immigration office. In the late 1960s, the Italian economy experienced a period of growth and recovery , removing one of the primary incentives for emigration. In 1967, the sponsorship system was restricted, instead basing immigrant selection on labour-market considerations, also decreasing the influx of Italian immigration. 90 percent of the Italians who immigrated to Canada after World War II remained in Canada, and decades after that period,

810-572: A Rizzuto lawyer, Joseph Lagana, convicted for laundering $ 47 million. Rizzuto was named as a co-conspirator, but there was not enough evidence to charge him. Though only considered a soldier of the New York Bonanno crime family by the Federal Bureau of Investigation , Rizzuto was considered by Canadian officials to be the most powerful mob boss in the country. The organized crime authors Lee Lamothe and Adrian Humphreys consider

945-510: A Sri Lankan businessman living in London; with France for Hakim Hammoudi of Paris who was accused of being the messenger between Zappia and Rizzuto; and with Canada for the extradition of Filippo Ranieri, a building manager in Montreal and a Rizzuto family member. Colonel Paolo La Forgia in a press conference in Rome stated the construction firm of Zappia International which had been bidding for

1080-598: A blue Grand Cherokee jeep that belonged to OMG. An investigation by journalists from La Presse revealed that Rizzuto-who had no official role with OMG-routinely drove OMG vehicles such as the jeep. In February 2010, an audit by the Canada Revenue Agency revealed that Rizzuto's wife and children were major shareholders in OMG, leading to the Rizzutos to sell their share to Oliveti despite his claims not to know who

1215-558: A consequence of aligning with Desjardins and attempting to overthrow the Rizzuto family around 2009–2010. Five days before the death of Rizzuto, on December 18, 2013, 54-year old Roger Valiquette Jr., a loan shark and Raynald Desjardins ally who also had ties to Joe Di Maulo, was gunned down in the parking lot of a restaurant in Laval. Vito Rizzuto died of natural causes on December 23, 2013. After his release from prison, Rizzuto had been on

1350-412: A crime "for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with, a criminal organization." As part of the same operation, the police charged Maurice Boucher with ordering the failed assassination plot on Desjardins from his prison cell. On March 1, 2016, 52-year-old Lorenzo "Skunk" Giordano, a Rizzuto lieutenant and confidant who had expressed wishes to become the next boss of the Rizzuto family,

1485-464: A criminal empire that imported and distributed tons of heroin, cocaine and hashish in Canada, laundered hundreds of millions of dollars, lent out millions more through loansharking operations and profited handsomely from illegal gambling, fraud and contract killings . In 1972, Rizzuto was sentenced to two years for conspiring to commit arson of Renda's hair salon in Boucherville in 1968 with

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1620-543: A firearm silencer, and he was sentenced to 10 months in April 2010. In November 2015, Vito Rizzuto's son, Leonardo Rizzuto, along with Rocco Sollecito's son, Stefano Sollecito, believed to be the heads of the Mafia in Montreal, were arrested along with more than 40 other people, and were charged with taking part in a conspiracy to traffic in drugs between January 1, 2013, and November 16, 2015. They were also charged with committing

1755-612: A five-year sentence in relation to Violi's murder. By the mid 1980s, the Rizzuto crime family emerged as Montreal's pre-eminent crime family after the turf war. The Rizzuto family along with their allies in the Cuntrera-Caruana clan were major players in the economy of Venezuela via their holding company of Aceroes Prensados, which owned much real estate, ranches, trucking companies, factories, hotels, shipping, service providers and building contractors whose assets in Venezuela in

1890-402: A former RCMP intelligence analyst stated that "during Vito Rizzuto's era, if everything was going well for organized crime in Montreal, it was because of Rizzuto". Subsequently, no other leader proved capable of getting the various groups in the city to work together, allowing street gangs to become more powerful. "Nobody has been able to bring together all the Mafia clans in Montreal ... the Mafia

2025-526: A former Rizzuto family lieutenant who was ousted after attempting to overthrow the Rizzuto family in around 2009–2010. Colapelle allegedly served as a double-agent for Raynald Desjardins and was spying on Salvatore Montagna by mid-2011. On May 4, 2012, 53-year old Giuseppe "Joe" Renda was kidnapped and never seen again. Renda met with Antonio Pietranto and Montagna two days before the failed assassination attempt on Desjardins on September 16, 2011, Renda allegedly gave Montagna his full support in taking control of

2160-576: A great deal of discrimination. As part of the War Measures Act , 31,000 Italian Canadians were labelled as " enemy aliens " with alleged fascist connections, and between 1940 and 1943, approximately 600 to 700 of these Italian Canadian men were arrested and sent to internment camps , such as Camp Petawawa —in what was the period of Italian Canadian internment . While many Italian-Canadians had initially supported fascism and Benito Mussolini 's regime for its role in enhancing Italy's presence on

2295-613: A great deal. He couldn't expect anything better", and, "I think the system has been beaten again". Rizzuto, who was incarcerated at FCI Florence , was released from prison on 5 October 2012, and immediately deported to Toronto , Ontario. Reports suggested that upon his arrival in Canada, Rizzuto met with representatives of the New York Mafia families, and laid low in Toronto for a while before moving back to Montreal. Sources indicated that he had bought an armoured vehicle and

2430-576: A gunman inside an Italian restaurant in the Mexican city of Acapulco . He had lived in Canada throughout the 1950s but was deported in January 2013 after the Canadian government formally accused him of murder and organized crime charges. The murder of Gallo is believed to have marked the three-year anniversary of the murder of Nicolo Rizzuto, Sr. on November 10, 2010. It is suspected Gallo was killed as

2565-490: A history of the family, in 2015. The book was adapted into the television drama series Bad Blood , which debuted on Citytv in 2017. Italian Canadians Italian immigration to Canada started as early as the mid 19th century. A substantial influx of Italian immigration to Canada began in the early 20th century, primarily from rural southern Italy , with immigrants primarily settling in Toronto and Montreal . During

2700-428: A house in a given area due to familiarity and because relatives and other Italian Canadians lived in the vicinity. 75 percent of Italians that immigrated after World War II were employed in low-income occupations, but by the mid-1980s, the children of immigrants had achieved a level of higher education comparable to the national average. By the 1980s, 86 percent of Italian Canadians owned a home, compared to 70 percent of

2835-477: A liquor truck. He pleaded guilty to possessing stolen goods and received a 90-day sentence. On January 16, 2009, 37-year old Sam Fasulo was shot and killed, a convicted heroin and crack-cocaine dealer, who had close ties to Francesco Arcadi. In 2004, he was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking ring that operated out of Italian cafés in Saint-Leonard and Saint-Michel . Fasulo

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2970-573: A new identity profile was born that originated from the fusion of two cultures to become something else and evolve in its own way. In 2010, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 103 with royal assent proclaiming the month of June as Italian Heritage Month. On May 17, 2017, the Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly passed a unanimous motion, Motion 64, in the House of Commons to recognize

3105-474: A new identity. Before the trial, however, Dupuis contacted Rizzuto's lawyer Jean Salois with an offer not to testify in exchange for $ 1 million. Salois recorded this conversation and got Dupuis charged with obstruction of justice. With the witness unfit to testify, Rizzuto was acquitted in 1989. In the early 1990s, the RCMP secretly ran a phony currency exchange in Montreal as part of an elaborate sting operation, called Project Compote , ending with 46 arrests and

3240-529: A police report. But the peace talks failed, and most of the Rizzuto family fled to Venezuela. This led to a violent Mafia war in Montreal which resulted in the deaths of Violi and his brothers, along with others, spanning the mid-1970s to the early 1980s until the war ceased. Antonio Manno's son Domenico was also instrumental in Violi's murder. He received a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to kill Violi; Rizzuto confidant Agostino Cuntrera received

3375-569: A power struggle between the Calabrian and Sicilian factions of the family, a mob war began in 1973. This led to a violent Mafia war in Montreal which resulted in the deaths of Violi and his brothers, along with others, spanning the mid-1970s to the early 1980s until the war ceased. By the mid 1980s, the Rizzuto crime family emerged as Montreal's pre-eminent crime family after the turf war. According to law enforcement officials, Rizzuto oversaw

3510-521: A revenge campaign which the Rizzuto crime family continued after his death. Several members and associates of the Cotroni family were murdered as a result. In April 2014, Carmine Verduci was shot to death outside a cafe; it is believed he was encroaching on the Rizzutos' turf following Vito's death. On August 1, 2014, 46-year old Ducarme Joseph, leader of the Haitian-based street gang "the 67s",

3645-528: A suspended sentence for Mafia associations. Canada refused to extradite either Ranieri or Rizzuto to face trial in Italy. Adriano Iasillo, an anti-Mafia prosecutor stated in an interview with Isabelle Richer of Radio Canada that: "Without Rizzuto, it would have been impossible for a criminal organization from outside to invest in one of the biggest projects of the century. And it was here [in Italy] that this project of

3780-404: A three-year supervised release as part of the plea bargain. Rizzuto's statement was contrary, however, to a previous testimony given by Bonanno family informant, Salvatore Vitale stating, "Rizzuto was the first mobster out from a hiding spot during the ambush and the first to start shooting." Organized crime authors Antonio Nicaso and Lee Lamothe stated of the sentencing, respectively, "It's

3915-408: A total 1,300 kilograms of cocaine, co-organized by Rizzuto family confidant, Francesco Del Balso and West End Gang member, Richard Griffin, was intercepted in Boucherville, Quebec , by police. After Griffin invested $ 1.5 million in the purchase and transportation of the cocaine, he demanded $ 350,000 from the Rizzutos for not taking preventative measures in transporting the drugs. After arguments about

4050-546: A young and growing country. A small number of Istrian Italians and Dalmatian Italians also immigrated to Canada during the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus , leaving their homelands, which were lost to Italy and annexed to Yugoslavia after the Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947 . Between the early 1950s and the mid-1960s, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 Italians immigrated to Canada each year, surpassing those who went to

4185-531: A young male. On October 15, 2016, 65-year old Vincenzo Spagnolo, considered formerly as a mediator, messenger and advisor to Vito Rizzuto , was shot multiple times at his home in Vimont, Quebec , and pronounced dead. Spagnolo was close to the Sicilian faction of the family following Rizzuto's death in 2013. In December 2016, Desjardins received a 14-year prison sentence, including time served , for connection to

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4320-484: Is possible that Olivero had fallen from the good graces of the Rizzuto family and was targeted as a result. On February 9, 2022, 46-year old Domenico Macri was murdered in his garage in the LaSalle neighbourhood of Montreal during a drive-by shooting. Macri was the owner of a local sports bar, named Brasserie des Rapides. Macri is believed to have been involved in the illegal sports betting business and had connections to

4455-853: Is presumed dead. On February 3, 2018, 33-year old Daniele Ranieri was found in a ditch in Cancún, Mexico . He was shot twice in the back of the head. Law enforcement alleged Ranieri took over the Toronto crew on behalf of the Rizzuto crime family following the April 2013 murder of Joe Bravo. Ranieri fled to Mexico in 2015 following an indictment on extortion charges issued by the York Regional Police . He previously served three prison-stints for robbery, assault, bookmaking and firearm offenses. On February 19, 2018, Leonardo Rizzuto and Stefano Sollecito were released from prison since their November 2015 arrest, and acquitted of charges of gangsterism and conspiracy to traffic cocaine. The wiretap evidence that

4590-612: Is sometimes referred to as the Sixth Family . Nicolo Rizzuto , a Sicilian immigrant from Cattolica Eraclea , established the organization in the 1970s as part of the Sicilian faction of the Montreal-based Cotroni crime family . An internal war within the Cotroni family broke out by the late 1970s which resulted in the death of acting captain Paolo Violi and his brothers, allowing the Rizzutos to overtake

4725-524: The Cotroni crime family in the late 1970s. He had several run-ins with the law but was able to avoid conviction for any major offenses until 2004. In 1981, Rizzuto participated in the killing of three rival capos in New York City ordered by Joe Massino of the Bonanno crime family , and he was indicted by a Brooklyn federal grand jury in connection with these killings in 2004. He was extradited to

4860-585: The Cotroni crime family . On May 8, 2013, 57-year old Juan "Joe Bravo" Fernandez and his associate 36-year old Fernando Pimentel, considered neutral in the Rizzuto war, were both found murdered in a garbage dump in Casteldaccia, Palermo , his body was burnt and riddled with over 30 bullets. His associate allegedly arrived in Sicily in March. Law enforcement considered the hit to be ordered by Vito Rizzuto. Bravo

4995-580: The Luppino and Papalia crime gangs," according to the National Post . Shortly after Angelo's murder, Pat Musitano's home was sprayed with bullets, and shortly after Tony's death in April 2019, Pat was shot but survived. At that time, CBC News discussed other mob hits and stated that the "surge" in violence appeared to have commenced after Vito Rizzuto's death; "the Musitano family [for example]

5130-465: The Strait of Messina connecting the Italian mainland with Sicily. The 3,690 metres (12,110 ft) long, suspension-type bridge, which was initially planned to open by 2011, was expected to cost about €5 billion ($ 7.3 billion CAD). Several family members and associates of Vito Rizzuto died or disappeared while he was incarcerated: Shortly after Vito Rizzuto's release, several men were killed in what

5265-540: The interwar period after World War I , new immigration laws in the 1920s limited Italian immigration. During World War II , approximately 600 to 700 Italian Canadian men were interned between 1940 and 1943 as potentially dangerous enemy aliens with alleged fascist connections. A second wave of immigration occurred after the World War II, and between the early 1950s and the mid-1960s, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 Italians immigrated to Canada each year, many of

5400-479: The 'Montreal faction of the Bonannos.' The reality is far different. The territory under its control is huge—more than a million square miles of Quebec and Ontario directly fall under its influence, an area larger than one-quarter the size of the entire United States. It includes major cities, the busiest border crossings between the U.S. and Canada, and many mature Mafia clans that are, by and large, cooperating under

5535-470: The 'Ndrangheta. We will make both them happy and we will do the bridge." Zappia spoke on the telephone with Rizzuto about the bridge project, which Rizzuto was deeply involved in, though Zappia told Ranieri that he could not be seen with Rizzuto because "if they see me with him, my reputation is over. You understand?". In a telephone call to Ranieri on September 19, 2003, Zappia stated: "What about our friend [Rizzuto]? I think our friend should send someone to get

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5670-621: The 1,546,390 Italian Canadians, 204,070 are Italian born immigrants, with 319,505 claiming Italian as their mother tongue . There has been an overall decline in the use of the Italian language since 2001. Notable Italian-Canadian films have included Almost America , Caffè Italia, Montréal , Corbo , Enigmatico , From the Vine , Mambo Italiano , The Saracen Woman (La Sarrasine) and Ricardo Trogi 's semi-autobiographical tetralogy of 1981 , 1987 , 1991 and 1995 . Depictions of Italian Canadians in television have included

5805-571: The 1970s, Rizzuto was an underling in the Sicilian faction, led by Luigi Greco until his death in 1972, of the Calabrian Cotroni crime family . As tension then grew into a power struggle between the Calabrian and Sicilian factions of the family, a mob war began in 1976. In December 1970, the Reggio Bar, which served as the office of the Cotroni family underboss, Paolo Violi , was bugged by an undercover policeman Robert Ménard , who for

5940-487: The 1980s were worth $ 500 million. Nicolo's son, Vito , later followed him into the Mafia. He kept a low profile, working only with trusted people close to the family. They worked with the Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan , Colombian and Venezuelan drug cartels, and the Bonanno crime family in New York City. Gerlando Sciascia was a Bonanno caporegime that served as a representative for the Rizzutos. Rizzuto

6075-507: The 1980s, Vito's French-Canadian right-hand man, Raynald Desjardins , along with Gerald Hiscock and Michel Routhier were involved in smuggling drugs via Newfoundland . Taking advantage of the high unemployment rate in the Newfoundland fishing industry, the Rizzuto family employed the fishermen to use their boats to smuggle drugs from Turkey into Montreal with the fishermen being paid between $ 17,000 and $ 25,000 per voyage. In October 1987,

6210-507: The 5 May 1981 gangland killings of three rival Bonanno crime family capos , Philip Giaccone , Dominick Trinchera and Alphonse Indelicato in New York City, made famous by the film Donnie Brasco . Rizzuto was one of four men hired by former Bonanno crime family captain Joe Massino to kill the three other capos. Massino had believed that they were planning a power grab after the incarceration of then-boss Philip Rastelli . Rizzuto

6345-584: The American Mafia) and asked for their approval to have Violi killed as he argued that Violi was simply too "stupid" to be the next boss of the Cotroni family as proven by l'affaire Ménard . "The Commission", which was very unhappy with Violi following the CECO hearings, gave their permission for Rizzuto to have Violi killed along with his followers. However, "the Commission" did not give its approval for

6480-503: The Cotroni family as Peter Edwards, the crime correspondent of the Toronto Star noted they lived "...on a grandiose international scale, driving BMW 732i's and Mercedes-Benz 500SELs and owning English country mansions with names such as Broomfield Manor and The Hook. Their children kept away from the old neighborhood, and attended well-heeled private schools such as Selwyn House with the offspring of more mainstream capitalists". In

6615-469: The Cotronis as the city's preeminent crime family. Nicolo subsequently earned the monikers the 'Canadian Godfather' and 'boss of the Mafia in Canada' from international organized crime expert Antonio Nicaso . Nicolo's son Vito was imprisoned between 2007 and 2012 for murders in which he participated in 1981, causing a power struggle among criminals in Montreal. During his imprisonment, his son Nicolo Jr.

6750-619: The Italian Mafia in Montreal and the West End Gang . On March 15, 2023, Leonardo Rizzuto was shot at six times while driving on Autoroute 440 in Laval, escaping with minor injury. In June 2023, two men were charged with attempted murder of Rizzuto. On June 5, 2023, 53-year-old Francesco Del Balso , a longtime Rizzuto confidant, was gunned down in Dorval. Writers Antonio Nicaso and Peter Edwards published Business or Blood ,

6885-453: The Italian citizens who moved abroad (53 percent) had medium-high educational qualifications: 33,000 high school graduates and 29,000 college graduates. Highly qualified people are in demand in Canada in areas that are lacking in the territory, particularly in information and communication technologies. As of the 2021 census, 1,546,390 Canadian residents stated they had Italian ancestry, comprising 4.3 percent of Canada's population, marking

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7020-768: The Italian population increased from 4,900 in 1911, to 9,000 in 1921, constituting almost two percent of Toronto's population. Italians in Toronto and in Montreal soon established ethnic enclaves , especially Little Italies in Toronto and in Montreal . Smaller communities also arose in Vancouver , Hamilton , Niagara Falls , Guelph , Windsor , Thunder Bay , Sault Ste. Marie , Ottawa and Sherbrooke . Many also settled in mining communities in British Columbia ( Trail ), Alberta ( Crowsnest Pass ), Cape Breton Island ( Inverness ), and Northern Ontario ( Sault Ste. Marie and Fort William ). This migration

7155-599: The Italian-Montreal underworld. Walter Gutierrez, a money launderer for the Rizzuto family, was shot to death in West Montreal on July 16, 2012. Vito Rizzuto was released from prison on October 5, 2012. On November 5, 2012, Rizzuto family confidant-turned rival 70-year old Giuseppe "Smiling Joe" Di Maulo was executed by a hitman waiting outside his home in Blainville, Quebec . Di Maulo allegedly attended

7290-511: The Magaddino family of Buffalo, and the seven 'Ndrangheta clans of Toronto to discuss his plans to complete his takeover of the underworld in Ontario. Vito Rizzuto was arrested on January 20, 2004, in Montreal, for his involvement in the May 5, 1981, gangland killings of three rival Bonanno crime family captains ( Alphonse Indelicato , Philip Giaccone and Dominick Trinchera ) and was sentenced to

7425-452: The Rizzuto crime family. Calabrese mobsters led by the old Cotroni family were among the suspects for the murders of Rizzuto crime family members. The Rizzutos have dominated organized crime activities in Montreal since its inception and now their weakened organization is being challenged for control of rackets in the area, most notably the drug trade. An associate of capo Francesco Arcadi and Francesco Del Balso, 44-year old Antonio Di Salvo,

7560-488: The Rizzuto family), the fact that the family had not taken action themselves against Panepinto for unsanctioned murders damaged its image in the underworld. The journalists Peter Edwards and Antonio Nicaso wrote: "The murder marked a rare lapse in Vito's judgment and a subtle turning point in his fortunes. It would have been far better to take action himself against Panepinto if he needed to sacrifice his lieutenant. By bending to

7695-440: The Rizzutos were. After consolidation of their power in the 1990s, the Rizzutos became over-exposed and over-extended. The first major blow to the family was the murder of their Toronto agent Gaetano Panepinto by the 'Ndrangheta hitman Salvatore Calautti on October 3, 2000. Though the murder had been sanctioned by Rizzuto who withdrew his "protection" of Panepinto (meaning that Panepinto could be killed without fear of revenge by

7830-664: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police seized one fishing boat, the Charlotte Louise that was carrying 17 tons of Turkish hashish. Vito Rizzuto, Desjardins, Hiscock and Rothier were all charged with conspiracy to smuggle drugs, but the judge at the trial excluded much of the wiretap evidence. The trial ended in an acquittal for all of the accused on November 8, 1990. In 1995, a document from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal stated: "If sold on

7965-547: The Sixth Family's banner. Where American Mafia bosses controlled criminal activity in portions of a city or a New York borough or the criminal activity in an industrial or commercial sector—such as construction or New York's garment district—the Sixth Family was an enterprise with a true global reach. The Sixth Family had outpaced any crew in the Bonanno Family and, indeed, man-for-man, dollar-for-dollar, had eclipsed

8100-405: The United States during the same period. Between 1946 and 1967, more than 90 percent of Italian immigrants took advantage of the sponsorship system whereby they were admitted into Canada if sponsored by relatives residing in Canada that would assume the financial responsibility for them during their settlement period. In 1948, relations between Canada and Italy were formalized through the opening of

8235-492: The United States in 2006, and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering charges in 2007. He was given a 10-year prison sentence, but was released in late 2012. The Rizzuto crime family had been in the midst of a power struggle while Rizzuto was incarcerated; his son Nicolo Jr. was killed in 2009, and his father killed in 2010. Rizzuto died shortly after on December 23, 2013, due to complications from pneumonia, which may have been induced by lung cancer. Vito Rizzuto

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8370-601: The acting boss of the Bonanno family until his deportation to Canada in 2009, was believed to be attempting to reorganize both families under his control; however, he was murdered in November 2011. On March 1, 2012, 38-year old Giuseppe "Joe Closure" Colapelle, was shot inside of his parked car in North Montreal and later pronounced dead upon arrival of the hospital. It is believed Colapelle worked for Giuseppe De Vito,

8505-408: The century was supposed to see the light of day". Cédilot and Noël wrote: "That a Canadian, Vito Rizzuto, was the chief architect of this massive campaign to plunder Italian government funds and European Community subsidies spoke volumes about his reach and influence. This was power that not even the bosses of New York's Five Families had ever dreamed of possessing". In 2005, a 300 kilogram shipment of

8640-400: The city of Etobicoke just before Etobicoke was merged into Toronto. OMG then took the recycling contract for all of Toronto. OMG enjoyed massive success, winning contracts for recycling with the cities of Ottawa, Markham, London, Hamilton, Windsor and St. Catharines as well with numerous school boards and universities across Ontario. On May 30, 2002, Vito Rizzuto was arrested for drunk driving in

8775-578: The cocaine and hashish seized in Canada. Canadian Mafia journalists Lee Lamothe and Adrian Humphreys dubbed the Rizzuto clan the Sixth Family to describe them on an equal footing with the Five Families of Cosa Nostra in New York. According to the book The Sixth Family : By 2003, the Rizzuto organization was variously listed in FBI and DEA files as merely 'the Canadian crew of the Bonanno Family' or

8910-549: The committee six members of the family pleaded guilty to possession of proceeds of a crime for the benefit of, the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization. Between September   7 and September   12, 2007, 56-year old Francesco "Frank" Velenosi, an associate of capo Francesco Arcadi, was found in the trunk of his Volvo car, stabbed to death. On January 15, 2008, Constantin "Big Gus" Alevizos, an associate of Panepinto before his murder in October 2000,

9045-505: The community still had fluency in the Italian language. There has been an overall decline in the use of the Italian language in Canada since 2001. Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia was an influential port of Italian immigration between 1928 until it ceased operations in 1971, where 471,940 individuals came to Canada from Italy, making them the third largest ethnic group to immigrate to Canada during that time period. The rapid growth of

9180-431: The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway . In 1904, 3,144 of the 8,576 seasonal Canadian Pacific Railway workforce were Italian men. Italian workers in that period, as described by Lucy di Pietro, a manager of the Association for the Memory of Italo-Canadian Immigrants, were seen "as transients and judged, according to the stereotype, as warm-blooded people with violent and criminal dispositions". Italians were among

9315-412: The contract to build a bridge to connect Sicily to Calabria on behalf of the Rizzuto family. Zappia was infamous in Canada as his firm Les Terrasses Zarolega had been awarded the contract without tender to build the Olympic Village for the 1976 Olympics at the express wish of Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau . The Olympic Village that Les Terrasses Zarolega built cost the city of Montreal $ 100 million, which

9450-435: The debts, Griffin was riddled with gunfire outside his home in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on July 12, 2006. On August 30, 2006, 35-year old Domenico Macri, a Rizzuto family enforcer and protégé of Francesco Del Balso, was murdered in a drive-by shooting as he waited at a traffic light in his Cadillac car in downtown Montreal. On November 22, 2006, the senior leadership committee of the criminal organization were arrested as part of

9585-444: The election of Philip Rastelli as the Bonanno family boss in 1973 with Desjardins and Paolo Violi , it also noted that he was the brother-in-law of Desjardins. On December 8, 2012, Rizzuto family lieutenant 50-year old Emilio Cordileone was gunned down in Ahuntsic , near his parked car. His murder was verified as Montreal's 33rd homicide in 2012. Cordileone's murder was possibly the result of his association with Giuseppe De Vito and

9720-485: The family as a whole. ... 'The nucleus of the Montreal-based Sicilian Mafia ... (comprises) hundreds of soldiers and associates,' says a Canadian police report drafted in 2004. Those who merely do business with the Sixth Family or work with them in short-term ventures are not included in this. Neither, generally, are the businessmen who do mostly non-criminal favors for the organization. In 1996,

9855-485: The family, was killed together with his bodyguard 44-year old Liborio Sciascia on June 30, 2010. After three decades of relative stability, the face of the city's Mafia hierarchy was subject to a major management shuffle. 36-year old Ennio Bruni, former Rizzuto family enforcer was shot and killed around 3:15am outside of Café Bellerose in Vimont, Quebec , on September 29, 2010. Bruni previously managed to escape an assassination attempt on his life on November 24, 2009, after he

9990-677: The firm of Olifas Marketing Group (OMG) was founded in Vaughan by Salvatore Oliveti, a recycling/garbage company. two of the men on OMG's board of directors had Mafia associations; Giancarlo Serpe had been a business partner of Enio Mora . Another board member, Frank Campoli was the first cousin to Giovannia Rizzuto (the wife of Vito Rizzuto) and was a guest at the wedding in 1995 of Nick Rizzuto Jr. Giovannia Rizzuto and her three adult children, namely Nick Rizzoto, Leonardo Rizzuto and Libertina Rizzuto, collectively owned shares worth $ 1.6 million in OMG. In 1997, OMG won its first contract for recycling with

10125-479: The four-year investigation known as Project Colisée . Among the 90 people arrested, were Nicolo Rizzuto, Paolo Renda , Rocco Sollecito , Francesco Arcadi, Lorenzo Giordano and Francesco Del Balso. During the investigation, the RCMP penetrated the group's inner sanctum by hiding cameras in the Consenza Social Club where the leaders had business. On September 18, 2008, as a result of the investigation,

10260-485: The general population. Canada thus began a multicultural policy that resulted in a strengthening of the identity of the different ethnic groups. Among them, the Italian one experienced a strong socio-cultural transformation due to multiple factors. As the mistrust caused by the fascist period ceased, Italians were able to improve their living conditions, with an increase in the social mobility of young Italian-Canadians. The second generation, better educated, began to abandon

10395-412: The getaway car in the Rizzuto murder. It is alleged the Rizzuto family offered $ 200,000 for the death of Joseph. His boutique shop on Saint Jacques Street was shot at on March 18, 2010. Joseph managed to flee however his bodyguard and associate 27-year old Peter Christopoulos, and the store manager 60-year old Jean Gaston, were killed. He was arrested on March 19 on charges of assault and the possession of

10530-448: The heads of the Mafia in Montreal, both of whom were arrested and charged with drug trafficking and gangsterism in November 2015. On 19 February 2018, they were released from prison, acquitted of charges of gangsterism and conspiracy to traffic cocaine. In the 1970s, his father Nicolo was an underling in the Sicilian faction, led by Luigi Greco until his death in 1972, of the Calabrian Cotroni crime family . As tension then grew into

10665-452: The immigrants considered "undesirable", as expressed in Canada's first law concerning immigration, dating back to 1869 . This law provided for certain categories of foreigners deemed more "desirable", precisely, for reasons of cultural affinity or stereotypes related to labor industriousness, favoring workers from Great Britain or Northern European countries. Italians were usually referred to by

10800-513: The intention of defrauding insurers ; he served 18 months of the sentence. In October 1987, a ship off the coast of northeast Newfoundland and Labrador was seized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The RCMP found 16 tonnes of hashish in the surrounding area, and Rizzuto, Raynald Desjardins and four associates were arrested; Rizzuto was freed on bail in March 1988. Rizzuto's trial began in October 1990 in

10935-483: The main marijuana supplier in the operation. On August 17, 2017, 45-year old Antonio De Blasio, a Rizzuto family soldier and Sollecito crew member, was gunned down outside his son's football practice in Staint-Leonard. He was shot several times in the upper body. De Blasio's murder was confirmed as Montreal's 15th homicide in 2017. Jacques Desjardins, brother of Raynald, disappeared on November 2–3, 2017, and

11070-430: The manual jobs traditionally performed by their parents in favor of jobs for which a good level of education was necessary. Many of these young people began to speak English as their first language, moving away from the customs of their parents in a process of constructing their own specific Italian-Canadian identity, different from the category of "Italian citizens residing in Canada" or "population of Italian origin". Thus,

11205-437: The men working in the construction industry upon settling. Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia was an influential port of Italian immigration between 1928 until it ceased operations in 1971, where 471,940 individuals came to Canada from Italy , making them the third largest ethnic group to immigrate to Canada during that time period. In the late 1960s, the Italian economy experienced a period of growth and recovery, removing one of

11340-424: The metropolitan areas that had attracted Italian immigrants, created a strong demand for construction work, and by the 1960s, more than 15,000 Italian men worked in Toronto's construction industry, representing one third of all construction workers in the city at that time. Others started small businesses such as barber shops, grocery stores and bakeries that created Italian ethnic enclaves. Italian women who entered

11475-571: The migratory destinations had been mostly European, starting in the second half of the 19th century transatlantic emigration to the Americas emerged, in the direction of lands that became typical destinations for Italians. The first Canadian census enumerating the population was not conducted until 1871 . At this time, there were only 1,035 people of Italian origin that lived in Canada. A number of Italians were imported, often as " soldiers of fortune " and " men of letters ", to work as navvies in

11610-514: The money. He should send those people on motorcycles [the Hells Angels]. He has to send the French people, with the bikes". Sivabavanandan was arrested while on visit to France and extradited to Italy, where he was convicted of Mafia associations and served half of his two year sentence. Hammoudi, a Franco-Algerian man who once lived in Montreal was likewise extradited to Italy, where he received

11745-518: The month of June as Italian Heritage Month across Canada — a time to recognize, celebrate and raise awareness of the Italian community in Canada, one of the largest outside of Italy. In 2019, Canada received the 11th highest number of Italian emigrants, and among non-European countries was the fourth highest after Brazil, the United States and Australia. Compared to the past, the skills of migrants have changed as today there are many researchers, skilled workers and entrepreneurs. In 2018, more than half of

11880-481: The murder of Salvatore Montagna in November 2011. On January 30, 2017, 39-year old Anastasios Leventis, a former computer technician and enforcer associated with the Rizzuto crime family, was shot to death in Toronto , two firearms were recovered close to the scene of the homicide. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and marijuana -smuggling in 2009 as part of "Project Cancun" and was sentenced to 6-months in prison. A court document issued in 2009 considered Leventis

12015-444: The murder of either Vic or Frank Cotroni. The first victim of the gang war was Pietro Sciara, a Rizzuto loyalist who joined Violi's faction. Sciara was killed on February 14, 1976 as he was leaving a cinema after watching The Godfather Part II dubbed into Italian. In 1977, Rizzuto and Cotroni capodecina Paolo Violi met face-to-face in the home of a Montreal resident for a last-ditch effort to resolve their differences, according to

12150-424: The murders of Sollecito and Giordano. With the testimonies of Dion and Viau, Scarfo was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder of both Sollecito and Giordano and sentenced to 25 years in prison on April 11, 2022, and Massari pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder of both Sollecito and Giordano and sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 13, 2023. The power vacuum after Rizutto's death

12285-466: The necessary stages to become law. In 2021, prime minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized for the war internment of Italian Canadians, in the House of Commons. A second wave occurred after World War II when Italians, especially from the more southern regions, Lazio , Abruzzo , Molise , Apulia , Campania , Calabria , and Sicily regions, left the war-impoverished country for opportunities in

12420-423: The next five years recorded everything that Violi said in the Reggio Bar. In 1975-1976, Ménard's recordings were played in public at the CECO hearings, which ruined Violi's underworld reputation. The Bonnano family-which the Cotroni family was only a branch of-shifted its support from Violi to Rizzuto in the aftermath of the CECO hearings. Vito Rizzuto went to New York to meet "the Commission" (the governing board of

12555-521: The nickname navvies , short for navigator , a term coined in England to refer to laborers and which from 1830 onwards was applied in a derogatory sense to those who worked on tunnel or railway construction in uncomfortable conditions. A substantial influx of Italian immigration to Canada began in the early 20th century when over 60,000 Italians moved to Canada between 1900 and 1913. These were largely peasants from southern Italy and agrarian parts of

12690-687: The northeast ( Veneto and Friuli ). In 1905, the Royal Commission appointed to Inquire into the Immigration of Italian Labourers to Montreal and alleged Fraudulent Practices of Employment Agencies was launched into deceptive tactics used by padroni , labour brokers that recruited Italian workers for Canadian employers. These numbers were dwarfed in comparison to those of the United States, however, where about four million Italians immigrated between 1880 and 1920. Italian Canadians primarily immigrated to Toronto and Montreal . In Toronto,

12825-419: The organization on the street – illustrated the power vacuum within the upper ranks of Montreal organized crime. Since the slaying of Vito Rizzuto's son, the organization suffered other major setbacks. 70-year old Paolo Renda, the consigliere of the Rizzuto crime family, disappeared on May 20, 2010. A month later 66-year old Agostino Cuntrera , the presumed acting boss who was believed to have taken control of

12960-464: The pressure of the Italian team that visited him, Vito had further legitimized the 'Ndrangheta on the streets and undermined his own security". Panepinto was replaced as the family's Toronto agent by Juan Ramon Fernandez , a Spanish gangster who been a family associate since the 1980s. In January 2001, Rizzuto called a meeting at a Toronto restaurant attended by members of the Gambino family of New York,

13095-480: The primary incentives for emigration. The importance of the family unit of Italian Canadians has provided a central role in the adaptation of newer socioeconomic realities. In 2010, the Government of Ontario proclaimed the month of June as Italian Heritage Month, and in 2017, the Government of Canada also declared the month of June as Italian Heritage Month across Canada. The first explorer to coastal North America

13230-449: The rights to build a bridge over the Strait of Messina was a front for the Rizzuto family, who had plans to lauder billions. On 1 August 2003, the DIA listened as Zappia in Rome called Ranieri in Montreal to tell him: "If everything does well, I will build the bridge and when everything is finished, the friend [Rizzuto] can return to Italy...One one side there is the Mafia, on the other side is

13365-484: The series Ciao Bella , Fugget About It and Il Duce canadese . In literature, the novels of Nino Ricci , particularly his Governor General's Award -winning 1990 novel Lives of the Saints , are the best-known depictions of Italian-Canadian culture. Vito Rizzuto Vito Rizzuto ( Italian: [ˈviːto ritˈtsuːto] ; 21 February 1946 – 23 December 2013), also known as "Montreal's Teflon Don",

13500-520: The street the cocaine, hashish, marijuana and heroin seized in Canada in 1993 alone would have earned criminals between $ 1.5 and $ 4 billion. Amounts seized correspond to about 10 percent of imports". The same document estimated that Quebec organized crime groups made profits of $ 30 billion in 1993 with the Mafia and the Hells Angels taking the largest share. Between 1988 and 1995, Quebec-based organized crime groups were responsible for 90 percent of all

13635-547: The strength of the Rizzuto clan to rival that of any of the Five Families in New York and dubbed it the " Sixth Family ." Rizzuto worked closely with the Sicilian Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan – major illicit drug traffickers – that was led in Canada by Alfonso Caruana . In early 2004, Rizzuto was indicted by a Brooklyn federal grand jury in relation to racketeering conspiracy charges, including loansharking and murder, in connection with

13770-427: The three capos murder, but Rizzuto accepted a plea bargain in May 2007 before the case went to trial. On 4 May 2007, Rizzuto pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder as well as racketeering charges, admitting that he was present at the triple murder in 1981, but stated he had only yelled "it's a holdup", while others did the shooting; he received a 10-year prison sentence and was fined $ 250,000, to be followed by

13905-454: The workforce often worked in the garment and clothing industry. The importance of the family unit of Italian Canadians has provided a central role in the adaptation of newer socioeconomic realities. A mid-1960s study conducted in Montreal found that two in three Canadian-born Italians had their nearest relative living in the same building as them or within a five-minute walking distance, and that more than half of those sampled had chosen to buy

14040-485: The world stage, most Italians in Canada did not harbour any ill will against Canada and few remained committed followers of the fascist ideology. In 1990, former prime minister Brian Mulroney apologized for the war internment of Italian Canadians to a Toronto meeting of the National Congress of Italian Canadians . In May 2009, Massimo Pacetti introduced bill C-302, an "Act to recognize the injustice that

14175-503: Was a friend of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and he was favored to win the contract to build the bridge over Strait of Messina. As part of the same investigation, Italy filed an extradition request with Canada for Vito Rizzuto to send to Italy to face charges of fraud and money laundering. Likewise as part of the same investigation, Italy had also filed an extradition request with the United Kingdom for Sivalingam Sivabavanandan,

14310-399: Was aligned with Rizzuto, which offered protection". In July 2020, Pat Musitano was killed. On November 10, 2021, Serafino Olivero, an independent money launderer closely connected to the Rizzuto organization, survived a drive-by assassination attempt in Montreal's Riviere-des-Prairies neighbourhood. Olivero had been fined $ 75,000 by Revenu Quebec in 2018 for producing false tax returns. It

14445-535: Was an Italian-Canadian crime boss alleged to be the leader of the Sicilian Mafia in Canada. He headed the notorious Rizzuto crime family based in Montreal , Quebec. Rizzuto was born in Cattolica Eraclea , Sicily, Italy in 1946 and immigrated to Montreal with his parents in 1954. His father Nicolo married into the mob, and later started his own crime syndicate in Montreal after overtaking

14580-649: Was arrested on 20 January 2004 in Montreal. On 17 August 2006, after a legal battle of 31 months, he was extradited to the United States, and appeared before a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. Massino, who received a life sentence for murder after he turned state's evidence in 2004, was also expected to testify against Rizzuto regarding his role in

14715-431: Was born in Cattolica Eraclea , in the province of Agrigento , Sicily on 21 February 1946. In 1954, on Vito's eighth birthday, he immigrated with his family to Canada, docking at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving on to Montreal , Quebec . Vito was the first child of Nicolo Rizzuto and his wife, Libertina Manno. His mother was the daughter of Antonio Manno, a local Mafia leader in their hometown. Vito

14850-483: Was born on 4 December 1967. He was shot six times and killed near his car in the Montreal borough of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on December 28, 2009. His other son is Leonardo Rizzuto, and the third child is his daughter, Libertina "Bettina" – named after her grandmother. His sister Maria was married to Paolo Renda , reputed consigliere of the Rizzuto crime family, who went missing on 20 May 2010. Vito's son, Leonardo, and Rocco Sollecito 's son, Stefano, are believed to be

14985-401: Was deported from Canada to Sicily in 2012. Giuseppe Carbone, Pietro and Salvatore Scaduto were convicted for the April 9th murder. Carbone led the police to the whereabouts in May, he became a cooperating witness and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. On July 8, 2013, 46-year old Giuseppe De Vito, ally of Desjardins, was fatally poisoned in his cell at Donnacona federal penitentiary . De Vito

15120-571: Was done to persons of Italian origin through their "enemy alien" designation and internment during the Second World War, and to provide for restitution and promote education on Italian Canadian history [worth $ 2.5 million]", which was passed by the House of Commons on April 28, 2010; Canada Post was also to issue a commemorative postage stamp commemorating the internment of Italian Canadian citizens, however, Bill C-302 did not pass through

15255-472: Was gathered by a joint police task force in 2015 was excluded as a violation of the constitutional right to solicitor-client privilege. A 2019 CBC News report later quoted a Mafia expert as stating that "Rizzuto's death paved the way for upheaval in the underworld. There's a power struggle left from the vacuum from Rizzuto". On October 17, 2019, Jonathan Massari, Dominico Scarfo, Guy Dion and Marie-Josée Viau, were arrested and charged with planning and executing

15390-514: Was killed in 2009 and Nicolo Sr. was shot by a sniper while in his home in 2010. Upon Vito's release, several people were killed in what was suspected to be retaliation for the murders of his family. Vito died of natural causes in 2013, and the head of the Rizzuto family is now assumed to be his son Leonardo. Nicolo Rizzuto married Libertina Manno during the early 1940s, the daughter of a Sicilian Mafia leader, Antonio Manno. Rizzuto emigrated from Sicily with his family to Montreal in 1954. In

15525-469: Was largely halted after World War I , new immigration laws in the 1920s, and the Great Depression limited Italian immigration. Approximately 40,000 Italians came to Canada during the interwar period , predominantly from southern Italy where an economic depression and overpopulation had left many families in poverty. During World War II , Italian Canadians were regarded with suspicion and faced

15660-658: Was lightly attended by mafia standards, a sign that he had fallen out of favour. Three days before Christmas 2012, a gunman entered the coffee shop of incarcerated Rizzuto rival Giuseppe De Vito, killing one man, Dominic Facchini, and critically wounding another. In January 2013 Raynald Desjardins' brother-in-law, Gaétan Gosselin, was murdered in front of his home, as was Vincenzo Scuderi, an alleged associate of Giuseppe De Vito. De Vito would later be killed by cyanide poisoning in prison in July 2013. On 9 April 2013, Rizzuto's former Toronto agent turned Palermo agent, Juan Ramon Fernandez ,

15795-409: Was living in a well-guarded apartment, suggesting Rizzuto knew his life was in danger, yet wanted to send a message that he was back and would not be easy prey. On 11 February 2005, an arrest warrant was issued in Rome against Rizzuto in connection with alleged Mafia involvement with plans to launder money, through Giuseppe Zappia, in building the multi-billion-dollar Strait of Messina Bridge across

15930-444: Was murdered outside of Palermo. Fernandez had attempted to remain neutral in the mob war, which led Rizzuto to order his killing. Salvatore Calautti and Moreno Gallo, each of whom had a falling out with Rizzuto, were murdered. Calautti was shot in the head and killed while sitting in his car in July 2013; he had been suspected in the unsolved murder of Rizzuto's father. Gallo, a former influential member of Rizzuto's organization,

16065-575: Was named after his grandfather, who was murdered on 12 August 1933 in Patterson, New York . Nicolo would later be murdered as well, killed by a single sniper's bullet at his residence in the Cartierville borough of Montreal on 10 November 2010. Vito married Giovanna Cammalleri, daughter of compatriot mobster Leonardo Cammalleri, on November 26, 1966, and had three children. His eldest son, Nicolo Rizzuto (Nick Jr.) – named after his grandfather –

16200-522: Was never performed on his body. Rizzuto's funeral was held at the Church of the Madonna della Difesa in Montreal's Little Italy on 30 December, attended by around 800 people. He was buried at Saint-François d'Assise cemetery in Saint-Leonard, Quebec . Even after Rizzuto's death, the Rizzuto crime family continued their revenge campaign. Almost three years after Rizzuto's death, Pierre de Champlain,

16335-569: Was particularly apparent to mobsters from the area of Hamilton, Ontario . Angelo Musitano, boss of the city's Musitano crime family , was killed in May 2017. In April 2019, his uncle Tony Musitano died of natural causes, leaving nephew Pasquale (Pat) Musitano as the last of the dynasty. "Those deaths cost [Pat] protection in a world where he had a growing number of enemies", according to journalist Peter Edwards. The enemies included "criminal groups in Hamilton, Buffalo, Montreal and elsewhere, including

16470-451: Was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. On December 4, 2008, 40-year old Rizzuto family soldier Mario "Skinny" Marabella was kidnapped at a gas station on Autoroute 440 in Laval, Quebec . He was forced into a minivan and his car was later found in flames in Montreal. Marabella had several convictions for loansharking, breaking probation and extortion. In 1992, he and Giuseppe De Vito robbed

16605-491: Was shot and killed at his home in Rivière-des-Prairies, Quebec , on January 31, 2011. On October 24, 2011, Rizzuto crime family associate-turned rival 40-year old Lorenzo "Larry" Lopresti, the son of Joe Lopresti who was gunned down in April 1992, was shot and killed on his ground-floor balcony and pronounced dead at the scene. His murder was confirmed as the 31st homicide in Montreal in 2011. Salvatore Montagna ,

16740-480: Was shot and killed outside of a halfway house in Brampton, Ontario . He was serving 3 years imprisonment since February 2007 for his role in a drug conspiracy. He was accused of stealing $ 600,000 from the Rizzuto family following Panepinto's murder. A 2001 attempted hit was foiled after Juan "Joe Bravo" Fernandez gave a gun and ammunition to an undercover police agent. Alevizos was shot in the back and abdomen and

16875-537: Was shot dead outside a restaurant in Acapulco, Mexico in November 2013. Gallo had been deported two years earlier, at which time it was also believed he was targeted for execution. On 23 December 2013, Rizzuto died of complications from pneumonia, which may have been induced by lung cancer, at Sacré-Cœur hospital in Montreal; he was 67. Although his official cause of death was from natural causes, there has been speculation he could have been poisoned, as an autopsy

17010-403: Was shot in the chest and stomach. The killing of Calautti is believed to be revenge for the murder of Vito Rizzuto associate Gaetano Panepinto in October 2000 and Nicolo Rizzuto, Sr. in November 2010. It is noted he also had ties to the 'Ndrangheta organisation in Canada. On November 10, 2013, 67-year old Moreno "The Turkey" Gallo, a once-influential member of the crime family, was killed by

17145-609: Was shot multiple times in the upper body on the streets of Saint-Michel, Montreal and was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived. Sources claimed his murder was retribution for his involvement in the murder of Nick Rizzuto Jr. in December 2009, the son of Vito Rizzuto . The 67s gang formed in the Saint-Michel district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the late 1980s and are associated with the Crips gang. Police believed Joseph drove

17280-529: Was shot several times while driving in North Montreal and died in hospital two days later from his wounds. On August 21, 2009, family associate, Federico del Peschio was killed behind La Cantina restaurant in Ahuntsic . On December 28, 2009, Nick Rizzuto Jr., son of Vito Rizzuto, was shot and killed near his car in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce , a borough in Montreal. The killing of Nick Jr. – the face of

17415-411: Was shot three times in the shoulder and once in the back shortly after his departure from a restaurant in Laval. On November 10, 2010, Nicolo Rizzuto was killed at his residence in the Cartierville borough of Montreal when a single bullet from a sniper 's rifle punched through double-paned glass of the rear patio doors of his mansion; he was 86. His death is believed to have been the final blow against

17550-427: Was shot to death in a Chomedey, Quebec parking lot. On May 27, 2016, 67-year old Rocco Sollecito was shot to death while driving in Laval. Sollecito was an underboss of the family and his death was believed to be part of a dismantling of the older generation of the family. On June 2, 2016, semi-retired Rizzuto family member, 72-year old Angelo D'Onofrio, was shot several times at close range inside of Café Sinatra by

17685-421: Was suspected to be retaliation for the hits on his family: Drug dealers Emilio Cordileone, Tony Gensale, and Mohamed Awada were eliminated in back-to-back killings in November 2012 for their alleged implication in the 2008 abduction of a Rizzuto ally. Also in November 2012, Joe Di Maulo, an influential mobster and ally to the Cotroni family, was executed in the driveway of his home, north of Montreal — his funeral

17820-477: Was targeted by law enforcement in 2006 as part of "Operation Coliseum". He was serving a 15-year prison sentence for conspiracy to import cocaine and gangsterism charges following his conviction in 2010. His murder is believed to be orchestrated by Vito Rizzuto. On July 12, 2013, 41-year old Salvatore Calautti was shot in the head and killed while driving in Vaughan, Ontario . His associate, 35-year old Jimmy Tusek,

17955-605: Was the Venetian John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), making landfall in Cape Bonavista , Newfoundland and Labrador , in 1497. His voyage to Canada and other parts of the Americas was followed by his son Sebastian Cabot (Sebastiano Caboto) and Giovanni da Verrazzano . Immediately after the unification of Italy , the young nation experienced the phenomenon of emigration on a massive scale. While until that time

18090-573: Was the mediator who oversaw the peace among the Hells Angels, the Mafia, street gangs, Colombian cartels, and the Irish mobs such as the West End Gang . The Rizzuto family lived in a Mafia "village" along a section of Gouin Boulevard, where most of the imposing Tudor-style mansions were owned by Mafiosi. The Rizzuto family and their allies in the Cuntera-Caruana clan were more cosmopolitan than

18225-554: Was three times the cost projected, and Zappia ended up facing 27 counts of fraud, extortion and paying bribes in connection with the Olympic Village fiasco. Zappia returned to Italy and became a billionarie by construction projects in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Libya, though there were complaints about cost overruns in his Middle Eastern projects. Despite this inauspicious history, Zappia

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