If the cops know that sounds like he's the one who should be in charge there.

Tonymtl:

1. Wouldn't it seem odd to you, as it must to all of us if we're being honest with ourselves, that the Rizzuto loyalists in the old Rizzuto organization took several years to regain their strength and gather their troops? Apart from some initial reconnaissance work that might have been required to figure out where the attacks were coming from and from whom specifically, what were these loyalists waiting for? An engraved invitation?

2. Moreno Gallo didn't "accept being deported," regardless of whether you mean he could have said no to deportation or whether you mean he was happy to go to Italy. Once he was in Italy, he asked his lawyer fairly immediately to try to get him back to Canada.

3. Your post above suggests collaboration between Domenico Arcuri Jr. and those who apparently were in a faction opposed to Arcuri Jr. and Montagna. Which doesn't make sense to me unless Arcuri Jr., Jos Di Maulo, Raynald Desjardins, and others were in an unbroken alliance from the start till at least Montagna's murder -- and I doubt there was such an unbroken alliance.

4. I'm well aware of the links the Arcuris in Montreal have had in the past with members of the Bonanno Family. You indicate above that the Arcuris lost their support from the New York Bonannos. Yet in your later post, below,



you seem to mention this family relationship as a strength for, presumably, a faction that included Domenico Arcuri Jr. and Sal Montagna. Is there a contradiction here?

Domenico Arcuri Sr. was in the Cotroni-Violi group in name only. (This was true of the Sicilian Randisi brothers who bought Violi's bar and were aware of the plan to kill Violi in it.) If Arcuri Sr. was truly loyal to Paolo Violi and Violi's family, Arcuri Sr. would never have accepted such a plum as Ital Gelati. This is why I have trouble seeing Paolo Violi's sons and Domenico Arcuri Jr. all being part of some sort of agreement to decimate the Rizzutos -- unless of course the Arcuris were prepared to hand back the business. :-)

Why should Nick Rizzuto Sr. have given Domenico Arcuri Sr. Paolo Violi's rackets in 1978? Was Nick Sr. even in a position to do so, given Vic Cotroni remained captain of the Montreal decina till 1984? Arcuri Sr. earlier exhibited neutrality in the lingering feud between Nick Sr. and Violi, but ultimately Arcuri Sr. seemed to have sided with his fellow paesani from Cattolica Eraclea.

I would suggest that the Arcuris' being wealthy has very much to do with their connections to the Rizzuto clan.

As for Giacinto Arcuri's being close to 'ndrangheta members in Ontario, the implication is that Rizzuto clan members or Rizzuto loyalists in Montreal were not close to such members -- and yet there is overwhelming evidence that these clan members or loyalists have generally had such close ties for more than 35 years. Arcuri, as a Sicilian mafioso living in Toronto, has for decades run in the same circles as Siderno Group ('ndrangheta) members and American LCN members living in Toronto. They all know one another. This notion that Sicilian Cosa Nostra, 'ndrangheta, and American La Cosa Nostra in Canadian cities fight like cats and dogs is ridiculous.

Based on your posts before and after the one above, you are suggesting the Rizzutos are responsible.

Why would Pavage C.S.F. be bombed as a way of sending a message to Arcuri Jr.? Are the Rizzutos going after Cammalleris now? (Vito's wife's maiden name is Cammalleri, and although she is not related to the co-owner of Pavage C.S.F., there is an association.)

Di Maulo is Desjardins' former brother-in-law. Di Maulo and Desjardins' sister Huguette divorced a number of years back.

I agree with the part of your post that I highlighted in red. Vito Rizzuto is a dead man walking.

carmela:

Were it not for you, I would never have known about this theory that Giuseppe "Big Joe" Cun trera was fully aware of the plan to kill Agostino. The theory is tantalizing, and I thank you for raising it, given it had not crossed the mind of any other poster on the two organized-crime forums I regularly frequent.

My opinion, made stronger now by examining more closely the longstanding ties between Montreal Mafia administration members (Vito, Nick Sr., Renda, Arcadi, Sollecito), Sicilian drug traffickers in Toronto (Cun trera-Caruana clan members, Antonio Cammalleri, Ignazio Genua), and the Siderno Group's Commisso clan ('ndrangheta) in Ontario and Calabria, is that Giuseppe Cun trera and Giuseppe Coluccio's partnership is, rather than being sinister, merely a reflection of such close relationships and not anything the old Rizzuto organization would be alarmed about.

You and others may recall the September 25, 2010 article written by Adrian Humphreys (co-author of The Sixth Family) about the discovery by Italian antimafia prosecutors of seven 'ndrangheta clans in the Greater Toronto Area. From the article (which I can no longer find online):

In their report, Italian prosecutors also state that the two main centres of Mafia power in Canada are Toronto and Montreal, with the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta prevailing in Toronto and the Sicilian Costa Nostra in Montreal.

The two groups, however, often worked together. Such was the case, authorities say, with another key figure in the Italian case: Carmelo Bruzzese, 61, of Siderno who "had, in Canada, a wide circle of family."

Mr. Bruzzese, police earlier alleged, had "deep connections" with Vito Rizzuto, the Mafia boss from Montreal. Mr. Bruzzese spoke regularly with Rizzuto's top men in Montreal and was a trusted partner in attempted public works projects in Italy, authorities said.

The entire "complex criminal organization" in Canada, the July report says, fell under the influence of Rizzuto, placing the Montreal man as something of a global super boss, at least until his arrest in 2004.

Carmelo Bruzzese's son-in-law is Antonio Coluccio, the brother of Giuseppe Coluccio. Antonio had been living in an affluent suburb north of Toronto at the time of his brother Giuseppe's arrest in 2008. In 2010, Antonio lost an appeal to stay in Canada, so he, his wife, and children voluntarily left the country. See the Italian-language article found at

http://www.mnews.it/2011/10/12/marina-di...rsa-dello-stato

Its petty cool that will most likely will get to sbee th history books wrote on tthis!

??

Gallo is not fighting to get back into Canada and there there was a rupture in alliance among the new consensus. Once sal was dead and desjardins imprisoned everything went sour. This was a true infight among collaborators. No doubt.

Tony:

See http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthr...true#Post631683

Gallo had his lawyer(s) file a motion on his behalf a mere five days after he left Canada -- Gallo wants back in.

He has also said through his lawyer that he wanted to live in Europe rather than face assassination. So it depends on which statement you prefer. Don't you think it's kind of strange that he suddenly wanted to go to Italy out of his free will after years of fighting his deportation? Shortly before leaving, police informed him that there was a contract on his head.



Just like others such as Gallo, Cotroni and Di Maulo, Arcuri felt the wind changing and the best thing to do back then was to go along. Maybe it was not Paolo Violi's death that might have upset Arcuri Sr., but rather the death of his mentor Pietro Sciara. Arcuri was said to have been his right-hand man.

Daniel:

The problem is, many recreational mobwatchers -- including me -- sometimes make the mistake of thinking that someone like Vito Rizzuto, who has lost a son, a father, and a brother-in-law, will not only avenge these murders but also assume the throne again, thereby making Italian mafia history or rewriting the history books on the Italian mafia.

But what happens to Vito when he is released generally boils down to two scenarios that have been played out a number of times in the history of this thing: death or exile.

Either of these scenarios isn't exactly a choice he will make on his own; even exile could be forcibly imposed on him. (I guess you could say that he might choose death by willing to die while recklessly seeking revenge.)

He may be able to avoid death if he goes along with the decision to being exiled. But I strongly suspect there are individuals and groups who won't give him the option of being exiled because they will want him dead as soon as possible.

I do understand Vito's desire to avenge the murders. He may even be successful in having one or two people killed shortly after he gets out. But I think he will be killed within a month of his release.

good points but i would add a 3rd scenario to the ones you listed, that being that vito gets locked up again real quick as the cops are gonna be watching him so closely that if he makes one mistake he will be back in cuffs. also, who knows but will all the shit thats going on up there in the past few years what if they already have someone willing to finger him in something else? maybe not likey but for sure possible.

Sonny:

If you go through the news articles about Gallo's pending deportation, you will indeed read that Gallo realized that deportation was inevitable and that he would not fight it. But his lawyer(s) filed a motion, five days after he left Canada, to return. One can't dispute the facts: Gallo completely changed his tune, and who knows whether this was his plan all along?

How close was Arcuri Sr.'s relationship with Sciara? Arcuri Sr. seems to have had no problem being given Ital Gelati through the largesse of Nick Rizzuto Sr. We also have to remember that Nick Sr.'s relationship to Nino Manno of Cattolica Eraclea may have been an important factor in Arcuri Sr.'s realizing his place, within the Montreal Mafia, shortly before or shortly after Paolo Violi was killed. Sciara seemed not to have realized his place; therefore, he was murdered. And does it ultimately matter, 38 years later, how close Arcuri Sr. and Sciara were?

We all know Sicilians and Calabrians and other mafiosi descending from other parts of Italy have long memories. But I find it amusing when I read that certain Italian organized-crime figures in Canada have been holding grudges for decades and are now deciding to act on said grudges. In the case of Violi's sons, I have slowly come around to seeing that they would, after all these years, want to kill those responsible for their father's death -- and my change in thinking has to do with the argument that sons in 'drangheta clans are nurtured from a young age in the ways of exacting revenge and specifically avenging the murder of a father. Yet the Mafia inc. co-authors mention in their book and in their newspaper articles that Violi's sons were merely sought out to give their sanction to Sergio Piccirilli's objective of killing Nick Rizzuto Sr. Wouldn't Violi's sons, given the traditions surrounding the vendetta, themselves carry out such a murder? What were they waiting for? Will Vito himself, according to tradition, seek out and kill the gunmen who killed Nick Jr., Paolo Renda, and Nick Sr.? I honestly don't think Vito will have the opportunity because I don't see him surviving very long after he gets out of prison.

You are absolutely right to add other scenarios. For example, the Italian government has not formally requested Vito Rizzuto's extradition, but if the request is filed, Vito gets to live longer.

I also think that Gallo wants to return to Canada. But I also think that he took the opportunity to leave Canada for Italy for his own safety. With opportunity I mean that he might have used his deportation case as an excuse to leave Canada in order to not lose face. His lawyer filling the motion to return might or might not be for the same reason.



Criminals are an opportunistic breed. He might have accepted the spoils for his own benefit, while being resentful at the same time.

It is still difficult for me to ingore the stricking similarity between Rocco Violi's murder and that of Rizzuto, Sr.



I agree that Vito will be marked when he gets out. I have no doubt that some will try to have him killed the moment he sets foot in Montreal. Whether they will succeed we may find out in the coming months.

I try to look at it from a logical standpoint: if Vito is as smart as I think he is, he will try his best to protect himself. If he surrounds himself with bodyguards, I don't see his rivals being able to get close to him easily. This is not a Chuck Norris movie. Even one bodyguard can make it quite difficult to kill a target. Just look at Raynald Desjardins' failed murder attempt.

There is someone that has already been appointed acting boss on behalf of Vito. He and associates are restructuring. Theyve already resurfaced and as of today I've heard that Arcuri jr has been staying in New York.

Sonny:

1. I'm not sure what you are arguing about Gallo's deportation or about his thought process. I think you're making the mistake of interpreting his deportation as a tool he had, at his disposal, that could be shaped or bent to serve him. Gallo's case has a relatively long history. Back in June 2009, one newspaper article mentioned Gallo "is begging the Canadian government not to deport him, and instead 'extend a second welcome,' like the one he received when arriving here from Italy at age nine."

If you're arguing Gallo chose not to fight his deportation any longer because he wanted to be deported as soon as possible on account of his fears for safety, this is still hard to jibe with the filing of a motion to return to Canada five days after being deported. I'm also not entirely sure Gallo had any opportunities left to legally stall his deportation. Are you aware of any further chances he had?

2. Instead of focusing on Domenico Arcuri Sr. as someone who has the mindset of a generic mafioso, focus on him as someone who is from Cattolica Eraclea and may have strong ties to the Cammalleris in the Manno-Rizzuto-Cammalleri clan, and whose sons have ties to Gerlando Sciascia's son and Giuseppe Lo Presti's son. Bear in mind that Arcuri Sr. has been pegged as a first cousin or brother to Giacinto Arcuri of Toronto and that the latter may have been a suspect, along with Vito Rizzuto's father-in-law, in the 1955 murder of Giuseppe Spagnolo back in Cattolica Eraclea. I think you've seen the following before:



3. Even I have come to view the manner in which Nick Sr. was killed as eerily similar to how Rocco Violi was killed, given I have been quite quite dismissive of the Calabrians-taking-over-Montreal-again theories floating around. Nevertheless, I like to remind people that Rocco Violi survived a first murder attempt, that Nick Rizzuto Sr. was killed in his home because he was apparently reluctant to leave the house (where else would the sniper have a chance at a shot?), and that some experts like Lee Lamothe, who seemed to support the theory of Violi's sons exacting revenge, came up with a questionable conclusion when he stated that the murder of Nick Rizzuto Jr. was "symbolic," given the difficulty of killing Vito, who was in jail.

But in another post in this thread you indicated that the Arcuris made two enemies: New York and the Rizzutos.

Why is Arcuri Jr. now in closer proximity to one of his enemies?

All i know is that NY refused to continue on after Sals death. Im sure most probably that Arcuri got a pass because we all know Desjardins had Sal wacked and that it wasn't really Arcuris fault.

He's safer in New york than he is in Montreal.

I wonder why the scumbags Arcuri and Cammalleri are STILL free. They got their life sentences in Italy decades ago and never have been extradited. Doesn't Italy want them any more or it's Canada that doesn't give them up?

Dwalin2011:

I notice you didn't mention Leonardo Salvo's name in your post above. Do you know something about his fate or his whereabouts that you would feel comfortable sharing?

In the case of Arcuri, the Italian authorities were told by a parish priest in Montreal, when they made inquiries, that Arcuri was dead. (All three suspects had fled to Montreal.) This "corroboration" alone may have meant the end of the Italians' investigation of Arcuri -- the arrest warrant was certainly cancelled. There is also, in my and others' minds, ambiguity about whether Giacinto Arcuri of Toronto was a first cousin to the murder suspect Giacinto Arcuri.

Incidentally, Salvo and Cammalleri (Vito Rizzuto's father-in-law) would go on to kill again, taking revenge on Rosario Gurreri in Montreal in 1972 -- Gurreri was initially a fourth accused who may have given up just a little too much information to the authorities.

Cammalleri has been living with his daughter Giovanna, Vito's wife, but Cammalleri and his wife, Angela, were very itinerant for decades because he was wanted. Law enforcement already knows he has been living in Vito and Giovanna's home for a number of years. (When Cammalleri was living in Toronto in the 1980s, he was said to have had close contact with Nick Sr., who at the time was either living with Cammalleri, was running a business, or was a homeowner.)

Sorry, I just forgot about Salvo because I read the books mentioning the Spagnolo murder a rather long time ago, so I don't remember everything well. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Salvo's present whereabouts, everything I know about the mafia comes only from books, so I am no expert. I wrote that post only because I hate those characters involved in the Spagnolo murder more that others from that organization because they killed a honest man, it isn't like most of the mafia murders where they are killing each other.
Sorry for not being helpful, I am afraid I am not one of the most informed users on the forum, unfortunately.

So how do you explain his sudden decision to leave Canada while he had been fighting extradition for years? Then five days later he's filing a motion that he wants to return. Seriously, does that make any sense to you? Days before he left, he was told by the police his life was in danger. To me it's evident one thing had to do with the other.

Sonny:

I have yet to read an article that states Gallo was warned by police days before he left Canada. Every article I've read indicates that when Gallo's parole was suspended in November 2011, he was returned to prison and police offers warned him his life in danger. Let's assume for now your argument is based on a factor other than when Gallo was warned.

Paolo Renda and Rocco Sollecito, who had spent time in prison, were also warned that their lives are in danger. I have this funny feeling that, as a matter of routine, law enforcement warns imprisoned Montreal Mafia members that their lives will be in danger upon their release.

I somehow don't believe Gallo was shocked when he received the warning from police officers. For all we know, this warning may have been laughable to him -- especially if he knows he has nothing to fear because he's remained neutral.

Bear in mind as well this part of the Journal de Montréal article you are no doubt familiar with (see http://fr.canoe.ca/infos/societe/archives/2012/01/20120105-061301.html):

Me Gary Martin, un autre avocat de Moreno Gallo, a cependant indiqué au Journal que peu de temps avant Noël, son client a reçu deux décisions défavorables du ministère fédéral de l'Immigration auquel il s'était adressé pour éviter l'expulsion.

«Son sort était scellé. J'ai appris que le premier ministre Harper était personnellement au courant du dossier de M. Gallo et qu'il souhaitait ardemment son départ dans les plus brefs délais», a indiqué Me Martin au Journal.

Yes, Gallo chose voluntary deportation, but he didn't leave Canada till 14 days after he was released. (He could not be deported till he was released from prison.)

It is usual practise for law enforcement that whenever there is a contract on someone's head, they have the obligation to warn this individual that his life is in danger. They have done this with Agostino Cun trera, Nick Rizzuto, Paolo Renda, all who are now dead.

I'm sure that at the time they warned Rocco Sollecito, Salvatore Montagna's faction was looking to kill him too. Also, I remember an article which suggested that Gallo might have been involved in Montagna's murder. Gallo and Mucci have been identified as close associates of Desjardins.

Law enforcement had seen Tony Mucci driving around in the same neighborhood where Montagna would be killed a few weeks later. I agree however that is could very well have just been a coincidence. But if it's not, then it is likely that Gallo and Mucci were involved. I personally think they were.

I was wrong about the days while it has rather been weeks. But it would not make much of a difference, because fact is that not long after being warned, Gallo left for Italy.

I've read so many articles on these events in the last year that after some time I get confused about all the details.

A couple of weeks ago I also accidentally lost all my bookmarks about Canadian organized crime. Luckily it wasn't a big deal as they had fulfilled their purpose.

Acuris building firebombed for a second time this morning in 2 weeks. The squeezing has begun.

the sciascia guy who was gunned down with the other older guy out side a shop was that georges kid, the bonnano guy who got killed in the bronx 1999 who was blamed for that 1 , even with them gone theres a strong family link down here. joe massino made a big mistake, like gotti and his mouth. they would be a problem.