Arcadi was the acting leader of the Montreal Mafia after Vito Rizzuto was arrested in January 2004. Arcadi, Rizzuto, Nick Rizzuto Sr., Paolo Renda, and Rocco Sollecito seemed to have divided the tribute they received after Vito was arrested, and an argument could be made that the arrangement was the same before Vito went away. In my opinion, Arcadi might have ranked higher than Sollecito, even though all five were receiving an equal share of the tribute.
Do you mean Arcadi over-ranked Nick Rizzuto during that period? Strange though, are you sure it was possible? That Nick left Vito be in charge is already weird imo, but maybe he wanted to get a rest due to age....But, with Vito being taken off the streets, would Nick allow somebody who wasn't even a relative, to out-rank him?
If you are to believe the conventional wisdom of journalists and book authors, they did state that Arcadi was acting boss and that position would put him at a higher level. But we have to put all this in proper perspective. Two of the five Rizzuto family were prominent active members watching over the business. You had Nick SR. regularly showing up at the Consenza bar stuffing his socks full of money. Renda handled the finance part. Arcadi might of had the title but his power may have been more restrictive than that of his predecessor. The Rizzuto family still got 3/5 of all the revenue not including what share of the pie Vito son's received as well.
I understand your arguments about Arcadi's rank and that of the other three leaders after Vito was arrested in January 2004. Do I think there was a position of "acting leader"? Yes, but only after Vito Rizzuto's extradition in August 2006 did I take a stab at guessing who the three candidates for this position were: Arcadi, Jos Di Maulo, and Moreno Gallo. I think there was an article published around that time that stated Di Maulo declined the position, which means the reporter didn't think Arcadi was acting leader after Vito's arrest in January 2004. French-language newspaper reporters Félix Séguin and Éric Thibault, who work for the same company, have always maintained in their articles that Arcadi was acting leader after January 2004. Daniel Renaud of La Presse, on the other hand, does not share this opinion, while Paul Cherry (Montreal Gazette) does.
My opinion about Arcadi's ranking higher than Sollecito between Vito's arrest and the Project Colisée roundup (November 2006) is based on Arcadi's being the only one who seemed to step up to the plate. I don't know whether it's true that, over the years, Sollecito, Di Maulo, Gallo, and Nick Rizzuto Sr. didn't want to be at the helm when asked by others. And of course there was that whole back story about Agostino Cun trera's being reluctant to take on that position but accepting the role anyway, despite the fact he seemed highly anxious and prone to depression.
On the other hand, when I re-read earlier today the September 2012 testimony of RCMP Cpl. Vinicio Sebastiano, who testified at the Charbonneau Commission inquiry, I noticed that he viewed Arcadi, Sollecito, Renda, and Nick Rizzuto Sr. as underbosses (Une distinction en sorte qu’eux étaient des têtes dirigeantes, mais plutôt comme on appellerait des « under boss »).
