The funeral of the matriarch of the Rizzuto clan, yesterday, was an opportunity for some of the tenors of the Montreal underworld to reaffirm their allegiance to the family under a discreet police surveillance.
In the morning, a few hundred people converged on the Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense church to pay a last sober tribute to Libertina Manno, the mother of the late godfather of the Montreal mafia Vito Rizzuto.
Besides his brother Domenico Manno, his daughter Maria Renda and his grandson Leonardo Rizzuto, freshly acquitted of charges, including gangsterism, the close guard and some allies of the clan were well visible.

Antonio Mucci and Antonio Vanelli, two important figures of the mafia since the time of the Cotroni, arrived side by side at the church.
Stefano Sollecito, Nicola Spagnolo and Marco Pizzi, in particular, represented the "new guard".

Those who come to [the funeral] are clearly on the Rizzuto side," says Antonio Nicaso, a professor of organized crime.
The influence of the family on the underworld, although weakened in recent years, remains important, according to him, hence this demonstration of several dominant figures.
The Rizzuto saw Nicolo Jr and Nicolo Sr die by bullets in 2009 and 2010. Paolo Renda, Vito's brother-in-law, disappeared the same year. The sponsor himself died of natural causes in 2013 after a long stay in prison in the United States.
Since, different factions oppose to take control of the mafia.
Construction and politics
Former construction contractors, made famous by the Charbonneau commission, were also present, including Nicolo Milioto.
The political community was not left behind as former federal Liberal Minister Alfonso Gagliano was spotted.
"Both the Italian community of Montreal and the underworld are affected by the death of Libertina Manno," says author and former intelligence analyst Pierre de Champlain.
In the vicinity of the church, which also received the funerals of Nicolò father, shot in 2010, and Vito Rizzuto, died of natural causes in 2013, a discreet police surveillance was exercised.
"The police will notice the present, but especially the absent," said Mr. de Champlain.
He suggests that for security reasons, some factions may have sent emissaries or will simply take the time to call the bereaved family.
At the Loreto funeral complex in Saint-Léonard, huge wreaths framed the room where the family received condolences during the passage of the Journal.

Funeral wreaths are often a good indicator of the links between clans, "says Nicaso.
The authorities will certainly have taken the time to take a look ahead.
One of the cars of the funeral procession had an immense bouquet identified to the Vanelli family, demonstrating their proximity to the Rizzuto.

PRESENTS YESTERDAY

Antonio (Tony) Mucci
Convicted of the attempted murder of Jean-Pierre Charbonneau, the journalist of Le Devoir newspaper in 1973. Mucci was the victim of an assassination attempt in 2007. He is considered by the police to be the head of the his own clan in the mafia. He was released from weapons possession charges in 2015.
Antonio (Tony) Vanelli
A figure of the underworld since the 1970s, he had pledged allegiance to the Cotroni before joining the Rizzuto when they took control of the Montreal mafia. Close to godfather Vito Rizzuto, he is considered a man of honor. He has also been the target of an attempted murder in recent years.

Domenico Manno
Le beau-frère de Nicolo (Nick) Rizzuto avait plaidé coupable à la fin des années 1970 à une accusation de complot dans le meurtre du parrain de l’époque, Paolo Violi. Sa mort avait laissé le champ libre aux Siciliens pour prendre le contrôle de la mafia montréalaise. Il avait écopé d’une lourde peine de prison aux États-Unis pour trafic de stupéfiants avant d’être libéré en 2012.

Nicolo Milioto
Ex-contractor in construction in the field of sidewalks. His testimony to the Charbonneau commission had made the commissioners go out of their hinges. In particular, he had been filmed by the police at the Consenza café while handing large sums of money hidden in his socks to Rocco Sollecito, a loyal lieutenant of Nicolò Rizzuto.

Alfonso Gagliano
A former Liberal Minister of Public Works and linked to the sponsorship scandal, he was a member of Parliament in Saint-Léonard from 1984 to 2002. He denied the allegations of an FBI informer who stated in 2004 that Gagliano was a long-time soldier Bonnano. In 1994, he also had to defend his links with Agostino [BadWord], for whom he would have done accounting. [BadWord] was also sentenced in connection with the murder of Paolo Violi.

From: http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2018/03/04/tenors-loyaux-aux-rizzuto