In his book Iced Schneider indicated the police believed the Violi brothers were being groomed for leadership positions in the local Todaro crew. He writes:



In addition Schneider recounts an incident where Buffalo News Mob Reporter Lee Coppola talks to the media about the Johnny Pops hit speculating the Musitano’s were acting on their own because Buffalo was too weak to sanction the hit. His statement seems to indicate the Violi’s brothers were Magaddino/Buffalo members. Coppola said:



I should note that Schneider goes on to indicate 2 more possible scenarios for the Pops hit.

1. Montreal (Rizzuto) wanted moving in on southern Ontario and had aligned themselves with the Musitanos. Police saw Pat meeting with Vito in October of ‘97 after the hit.

2. Buffalo wanted Pops out of the way because they were enraged he already giving up some gambling rackets to the Musitano’s. Or that because he was just too old. Schneider writes:



Of course we now have a copy of a conversation between Pat Musitano and Johnny Catz of Buffalo that shows the two families were still tight and working together—indicating Buffalo did order the hit on Pops.

Questions:
1. Does this make it more likely that the Violi brothers who were arrested in the Otremens Operation are the ones being referred to as the Todaro family members by the FBI and Canadian journalists?

2. Does the evidence that Buffalo had the power to order the Papalia hit in ‘97–when American journalists believed they were too weak, penniless, and without any leadership to do so—indicate American journalists may have it wrong now as they said the mob is all but dead in WNY.

3. Does this lend credibility to Edwards’ recent article suggesting Buffalo is playing a role in the mob war that has been going on in Hamilton for a while now.

4. What do you think of rumors that the Violi’s have fallen out of favor with Buffalo because of their recent arrests.,

I really appreciate you posting all these Buffalo pages. I read DiCarlo and I became interested in Buffalo when I realized just how many regimes they had. I can't comment on the Violis as the mob war has outpaced my expertise.

1. Do you think Magaddinos ties to Canada pre-date his reign, back to DiCarlo Sr. and Palmieri's reign? If not that would mean he expanded north to CAnada and most likely west towards Ohio (Buffalo soldiers were killing Porrello soldiers in the Prohibition era, and probably took some turf as spoils of victory).
2. Do you know of any Buffalo activity i Pennsylvania, or is that a myth propagated by Wikipedia?

I don't believe those rumors that the Violi's are out of favor with Buffalo. Bifulco and Joe Violi are still tight.

Yes, there is evidence of Buffalo and Canadian mobsters knowing each other before the Magaddinos showed up in Buffalo.
Erie, PA still has a few former Buffalo associates but they are retired. Raymond Ferritto Jr, who's father killed Danny Green, is not an associate to any family.

Here are some quotes about Buffalo’s control or influence on Erie, PA from the book, The Real Teflon Don: How an Elite Team of New Yor State Troopers Helpeded Take Down America’s Most Powereful Mafia Family by Matt Gryta (a Buffalo News Crime Reporter) and George Karalus (member of Forrest Avenue Boys—precursor to OC Task Force for NY State Police.)









I’ll post about your question related to Buffalo’s early connections to Toronto. Seems Toronto’s Perri worked with Buffalo but did a great job keeping them from taking over till Magaddino became boss and some of his captains began to align with Stephano. I’ll post some quotes when I have time to look them up later.

How Magaddino’s use of violence gained him control of rackets from Ontario to Buffalo, back to NW Pennsylvania and OH to Rome/Utica NY from the book Iced by Schneider:

im to lazy to go back in look but didnt the fbi name violi as the underboss of a new york family meaning the buffalo family in his indictment for selling coke n dope. he was at the bonanno induction for the guy from queens who recorded his induction on his iphone. it happend in hamilton i remeber. it wasnt even the saint burning poke the finger. the bonanno guy traveld up the from nyc, they went out to a restaurant and told the guy he was a member. somewhere i read the violis where at the dinner.

That was posted by an anonymous entity on Wikipedia. The FBI only stated that members of the Todaro crime family in Canada were arrested, likely referring to the Violis.

Was it confirmed the violis were at the diner party when the bonanno guy was confirmed in the family. You cant really even call it a induction more like a confirm party. Hay you part the gang italian subs for everyone hold the oil pete.

https://aboutthemafia.com/tag/giuseppe-joe-violi

Does this article make any sense to anyone? There was a Bonanno ceremony in Canada?

Here is an article from Adrian Humphries about the "induction ceremony" and arrests.
Congratulations: Undercover agent indcuted into mafia

Violis are probably Bonannos.

they are sure bonannos they were present at induction ceremony

So the Violi’s were under the Buffalo Crime Family and groomed for leadership in the Buffalo crime family, but are Bonanno?

Would you say Buffalo doesn’t really exist today, just remnants remain, despite what Edward’s recent article said, so they switched families?

Did FBI and Canadian journalists just refer to the former family the Violi’s were members of?

If the Viloi’s are not Todaro crime family members which of these individuals that the RCMP said were arrested are:

It's difficult to say because there are many ties between them as you know Stefano Magaddino was the cousin of Joe Bonanno.

never heard of any rules were there cant be members of another family well another inducts a new guy. theres old fbi file ray patriarca inducted 6 genovese guys because vito couldnt be there. bill bonanno said all types of bosses was at his. i think they are buffalo lcn members technically but now the bffalo family is borderline defunkt. there grandfather had them indcucted there so rizzuto couldnt hit them like scafo had his son made by the luchese as extra protection from merlino and company. now the violi had made inroads with the new mob guys from italy. imo

It’s also possible the few remaining Buffalo members answer back to the Bonannos in NYC, sort of like how the Binos control the DeCavs apparently.

Agreed, while it's just an educated guess I really do think this hypothesis comes closest to the truth..

A

Thoughts on this article?

Buffalo mob playing role in deadly Ontario dispute, sources say
By PETER EDWARDS STAFF REPORTER
Mon., Sept. 17, 2018


The murder of Hamilton real estate agent Al Iavarone at his home last week suggests that the New York State mob still has considerable influence in the southern Ontario underworld, sources say.

“I don’t think anyone knows for certain how this plays out,” said Paul Manning, a former Hamilton undercover police officer who worked on organized crime investigations. “One thing’s for sure, Buffalo will always have a say north of the border.”


The killing of Al Iavarone (not pictured) is believed to be retaliation for the killing of Angelo Musitano, right, who is seen here with his brother Pasquale Musitano in 1998.

Iavarone, 50, was shot dead in the midst of a dispute between two Niagara Region groups of mobsters who are both tied to the New York State mob, several former southern Ontario organized crime police investigators said.

Buffalo would have to give approval for high-level killings, sources said, adding that mob leaders there are believed to have turned their backs on one side in the dispute and given tacit approval to the other.

“They’re all supposed to be under Buffalo,” one source said of the two feuding Ontario crime factions.

“This does not end well for anyone,” the former police organized crime specialist said.

Iavarone’s killer hid in bushes outside his detached home at on Sunflower Cres. in Ancaster’s quiet Scenic Woods neighbourhood, shooting him around 9:55 p.m. as he walked from his car. He was killed in retaliation for the murder of Angelo (Ang) Musitano, 39, in the Hamilton suburb of Waterdown in May 2017 and the revenge for Musitano’s murder is far from over, former police organized crime investigators said.

Iavarone didn’t take part in Musitano’s murder but he was close to one of the suspected killers, a source said.

Musitano was shot at close range several times while in his truck outside his home while his wife and children waited inside for him.

Years earlier, Musitano and his brother Pasquale (Pat) were convicted of conspiracy related to the 1997 murder of Niagara Falls mobster Carmen Barillaro.

“This (Iavarone murder) is for Ang,” one former investigator said. “This is retaliation for Ang.”

Iavarone didn’t have a criminal record. He was known to police because he was “associated to individuals involved in traditional organized crime in the Hamilton area,” Det.-Sgt. Peter Thom of the Hamilton police said hours after his murder.

“It’s our belief that there is something going on in the underworld, maybe a power struggle,” Thom said.

Some of Iavarone’s underworld ties were south of the border, sources said.

“The recently deceased had ties to New York,” a former police investigator said.

“Buffalo factions of Traditional Organized Crime are not ‘in’ Canada per se, but historically have controlled aspects of Canadian ‘family business’ and do get kickbacks from profits from illicit activity,” Manning said

Prior to his death, Musitano was owed money from a man involved in gambling who worked for New York State mobsters, a source said.

When he demanded payment or a piece of the gambling operation, he was murdered by a crew of Niagara Region men connected to the gambler, the sources said.

None of the men involved in the Angelo Musitano murder were actual mob members, leaving them vulnerable to retaliation, the source said.

They have already been cut astray by the New York mob, a police source said.

“They have no backing,” the source said.

And then this from Edwards Blog on his website:

Filed Under: Blog
Buffalo mob involved in deadly Niagara Region dispute
September 17, 2018 by Peter Edwards Leave a Comment

The Buffalo mob isn’t dead, despite some media reports. And they’re playing a role in an ongoing dispute that includes the murder last week of a Hamilton real estate agent. Things will be worse before they get better, as murder of Angelo Musitano drives one side in dispute to clean house.

Nickel,

GREAT WORK...

You know I have been pro Buffalo since I came on these boards actually I read the Dicarlo book and was amazed at what they had going on.

To me everything points to the Buffalo crews still intact.

And there being something left of Buffalo LCN

The question I do not have an answer for is
WHO are th e guys in Buffalo that are still active?

Violi's I think Buffalo LCN,

They have their roots and no evidence they ever switched or real reason to believe that.

I don't buy similar to Decav and Bino because they never called Decav guys Bino guys....

The evidence obviously supports they are active i.e. the indictment the Intel supports Buffalo i.e. multiple news articles...

Or are the Violi's the U/B of the Bonnano's?

Nickel who?

And if you think about it the Bonnano's got abuses pretty badly up north.

The Rizzuto's told them to take a hike and then their acting boss was deported and got whacked and the Bonnano's did NOTHING...

Even before the Rizzuto's told them to officially take a hike they were abusing Massino by blowing him off.

Going back to the height of his power.

And Maggidino and Bonnano were cousins but they hates each other and Bonnano wanted to have Maggidino killed and were constantly fighting each other specifically in Canada.

i think the bonanno's are behind several murders in montreal, they avenged the murder of montagna and they were fighting with the rizzuto's (who was also a bonanno member
who killed desjardin brother, for example? probably the bonanno's

Given Ockhams Razor (the simplest answer is usually the right answer) I would have to say the Violi’s are Buffalo. It is the most simple explanation given their history with the family and the media reports this last year. To say they are Bonanno one has to perform some mental gymnastics to to explain their history and reports away.

What Bonnano's are in C.A. I did not think they had a crew.
The RIZZUTO's used to be a crew of Bonnano's, Gerlando Scarsiccisa was their captain he got whacked they wanted Vito Rizzutto, to be the captain and he said No Thank You, make my father captain.

I didn't think they had any other crews up there
??

That is why Montagna got killed he was up there on his own? Made some alliances with local guys that were beefing with the Rizzutos

Who is the crew? How big is it?
Who did they kill?

I agree what I was asking was on the Buffalo side? Who are the guys in the streets?
C.A. Violi's and who ever left from atleast two crews maybe more.

In the U.S. if not Todaro than who?

The Rizzutos didn't do anything to Montagna, it was Des Jardins who hit him. Des Jardins and Montagna were part of a group that attacked the Rizzutos and they were picking off Rizzutos left and right with no retaliation until they turned on each other. It was only after Montagna was hit and Des Jardins got taken off of the street that the Rizzuto people came back out of hiding. If anything the Bonannos would have wanted to hit Des Jardins for killing Montagna, the Rizzutos never did anything to him.

Is that the full story? It was Desjardins and Montagna? Who else was in the group

That's right I forgot.....

I still don't think the Bonnano's have anyone in Canada at this point and time.

The point I was making the Rizzuto's were the Bonnano's crew and they un officially told em to FFF OFF when Massino was at his height.

Than officially when Massino flipped and they did it to Vinny Gorgeous who was an out right SHOOTER

I.dont see them taking over Buffalo's crews and making them Bonnano's besides they had so many rats that would have come out already

Agreed also. If the Buffalo family is basically defunct the Bonannos would be the only family left with historic claim on Canada so it would make sense the remaining Buffalo (LCN) members were absorbed into or answer to the Bonannos.



I think they were just laying low and waiting for their leader to return home to get directions. Difficult to say what would've happened if Montagna didn't get into a beef with Desjardins. They would've tried to kill Vito or either force him into retirement, but I think Vito was too bloodthirsty to accept that so he would attempt to hit them back. But if the anti-Rizzuto coalition didn't fall apart it would've probably be the end of the Rizzuto reign.

If the Buffalo family was nearly defunct as several articles and the lack of indictments seemed to indicate-Ockham's would say the family is dead and being absorbed by the Bonannos is the easiest explanation. That is my number 2 theory. But Bensonhurst has a great point when he says:



Bensonhurst you asked about who is on the streets now:



Here is what I know... And it is not verifiable just what I've learned from people I've talked to in the area:

1. A funeral director in Buffalo that I know did the Sonny Nicoletti Funeral in the Falls. He told me there was a major contingent of Canadian guys showing their respect. That seems to verify the street report that Nicolleti was running things in the States. This was when I was wondering if Joe Todaro Jr. was still involved. He told me there were no Todaros at the funeral. He said "Butchie" (Frank BiFulco) was there and everyone was paying him a great deal of respect--like he was the boss. The report that came out about a year ago on Cosa Nostra News and About the Mafia indicated BiFulco was at the helm and that confirms to me what this undertaker talk me.

2. From a person with a name you would recognize, but I don't have permission to share in public: Buffalo is active and very involved with healthcare fraud with other families. Additionally, this individual indicates the Capitano brothers (Sam and Peter) from LIUNA Local 210 are still involved. That goes against the public perception around here that Pete has become a born again Christian and has nothing to do with "the life" any more .

3. A journalist with a small weekly paper indicates his source "who is in politics and whose family has been or is on the periphery for years" indicates "their are young guys making a good living." He says that they are involved in drug trafficking and are being led by older Buffalo mobsters who are living in Florida a good deal of the time. He said a couple of years ago the big guy had to make a special trip up to straighten some things out and get a few of the young guys in line.

4. Very recently and individual on this site pointed me to the murder of Monty Massimi by Sam Vacanti at the end of 2007. It involved several younger guys with last names known to be associated with the Buffalo crime family. It is interesting, I never found articles on that murder on my own--and I've done a lot of research. My belief is that these articles were scrubbed because the murder involved the family of a high profile Buffalo politician--Mark Grisanti-- who later became a NY State senator. Do a search for Massimi or Vacanti the Buffalo News website and it won't result in a any hit (at least as of last week). I posted about this on the BUSICO Thread I started.

5. The Massimi murder by Vacanti involved a drug trafficking ring with young guys who's families had know mob connections and were put in charge of drug trafficking by Joe Todaro after Andy Aiello was busted in the BUSICO case that resulted in the Pizza Connection. (I posted about this on the BUSICO thread.) Here is what Gangsters Inc wrote in an article called "Puparo presents: The Roaring '80's Part 1:"



Let me try to highlight the mob connections in the Massimi homicide and what is ALLEGED to have happened:

A.. Mark Grisanti married Maria Amoia.

B. Her sister is Joann Vacanti whose son was part of the Amoia's Drug Business (Remember, Amoia he was put in place by the Todaro's man Acticoli.) The Amoia's have a long history with the mob in WNY.

C. Joann's son Sam Vacanti was a known narcotics trafficker--and in November 2007 he murdered Monty Massimi in what the Buffalo News said "brought back memories" of an old school mob hit. (This article can be found on Press Reader--Not on The Buffalo News site anymore--it also said those involved were not members of the mob, but it never mentioned the many connections this drug ring and murder had to the mob in WNY.)



D. It appears the DA at the time, Frank Sedita, botched the handling of this case. (Remember Joe Sedita had represent the interest of the Mob controlled local 210, and Frank Sedita Sr. was Buffalo Mayor from '58-'61 & '66-'73--he is alleged to have had weekly lunches with mobsters at 210.)

E. Mark Grisanit's stepson is John Amoia and his nephew is Adam Amoia. Adam Amoia was an accessory to the Massimi murder, and John Amoia received the murder weapon. The murderer, Sammy Vacanti gave the murder weapon to John Amoia who buried it behind the swimming pool at Grisanti's home. The weapon was later unearthed and given back to Sam Vacanti (triggerman) and Adam Amoia (allegedly with Sam and David Gambino the night of the murder). The murder weapon was never found by the authorities.

F. The Massimi homicide pictures were leaked and posted to a blog in order to silence those who were talking and influence/limit the testimony of against Vacanti or David Gambino.

G. A poster on the Topic Forum--which is about the only place to get information on this case--as the papers have removed articles from their online archives says what many of us who live in Buffalo believe:



H. Some of the known drug traffickers in this case with mob ties are: David Gambino, Sammy Vacanti, Louie Vacanti, Adam Amoia, JR, Faust Novino and Fillipo

I. Sammy Vacanti eventually turned and gave up many in his drug trafficking crew. This lead to many arrests in several states and in Canada. David Gambino and a Zip named Filippo Inglima were given large sentences for their role in this drug trafficking ring just 5 years ago. Here is the FBI's press release: https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/b...tfield-man-pleads-guilty-to-drug-charges