Nick Rizzuto Jr. murdered in Montreal

[thewestside]

Nick Rizzuto Jr. murder rocks Montreal underworld
Street gangs, Hells Angels emerge as suspects in 'chilling' slaying; killing a 'severe blow' to reputed Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto
By Aaron Derfel and James Mennie, The Gazette
December 28, 2009

MONTREAL – The fatal shooting on Monday of Nick Rizzuto Jr. – son of reputed Montreal Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto – comes amid a power vacuum within the upper ranks of organized crime in the city, experts suggest.

Rizzuto’s slaying outside a construction company in Notre Dame de Grâce that was raided last month by Montreal police also raises questions about possible links between the industry and organized crime.

Julian Sher, an investigative journalist who has written two books on the Hells Angles, said it’s too early to speculate on who might be behind Rizzuto’s death.

However, Sher noted Maurice (Mom) Boucher, former leader of the Hells Angels Montreal chapter, is behind bars, while Rizzuto’s father, Vito, is incarcerated in the United States.

“Top Hells Angels are in jail, you’ve got a Rizzuto in jail in the States, and now a son who gets gunned down – there’s clearly a lot of turbulence,” Sher said.

“But don’t worry, the underworld always finds new soldiers.”

As far as organized crime expert and veteran police reporter Michel Auger is concerned, only one fact can be gleaned from Monday's shooting: Whoever pulled the trigger is already dead.

“I think one thing you can be sure of is that the next murder you report on will probably be that of whoever was responsible for today’s killing,” said Auger, who was also the victim of a murder attempt as he reported on Quebec’s criminal biker gangs. “You’d have to go back to the late 1970s, to the murder of (Mafia boss) Paolo Violi, to see someone that important in the criminal world murdered.”

Auger also noted that Rizzuto’s death occurs at a time when all of organized crime has been bruised if not battered by a series of police investigations that have decimated the ranks of the Mafia and criminal biker gangs in Quebec.

Rizzuto’s father Vito, 63, is serving a prison term on a racketeering charge related to three murders that occurred in the 1980s, while Mom Boucher, the Hells Angel who oversaw much of the biker wars in the 1990s, is serving a life sentence for ordering the murder of two prison guards.

“I think we may be seeing an unexpected result of all those police operations, of a weakening of organized crime,” Auger said.

Auger notes that for the moment, street gangs are considered by police to be the prime suspects in Monday's murder. But he adds there are still about two dozen Hells Angels at large and acknowledges that it’s equally possible Rizzuto may have been killed by a faction within the mafia.

In the book The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs are Conquering Canada, Sher and co-author William Marsden (a Gazette journalist) allude to a meeting between Vito Rizzuto and the Hells Angels.

“We literally place the Rizzutos at the same table in an Italian restaurant with the Hells Angels when they’re setting the price of cocaine in the city,” Sher said. “So you’re talking about a very powerful crime family that has dominated the Montreal crime scene for years.”

Much less is known about the son, but Sher notes in his book that a police informant had overheard Nick Rizzuto talking to a Hells Angel about 250 kilograms of cocaine going through Montreal each week.

Pierre De Champlain, a retired intelligence analyst with the RCMP and an expert in Italian organized crime, said Rizzuto’s death sends a chilling signal.

“My God, it’s really a severe blow for Vito Rizzuto – there’s no doubt about that.

“It’s clear that this is a signal that’s being sent to his father, Vito Rizzuto, who is incarcerated in the United States. For a Mafia head to see his son getting murdered is a bad sign.”

De Champlain, who wrote Mobsters, Gangsters and Men of Honour: Cracking The Mafia Code, suggested the Calabrese or the Sicilian Mafias could be responsible for the slaying.

“Or it could be internal,” De Champlain said. “It’s too early to say at this point.”

http://www.canada.com/news/Nick+Rizzuto ... story.html

[thewestside]

Revenge killings feared in wake of Rizzuto Jr. murder
Eldest son of reputed Montreal Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto shot four to six times in broad daylight
By Paul Cherry and James Mennie, The Gazette
December 28, 2009

MONTREAL – The life of Nicolo (Nick) Rizzuto Jr. was nowhere near as notorious or scrutinized as that of his father, Vito Rizzuto – a man described as the reputed head of the Mafia in Montreal.

But the younger Rizzuto’s sudden death has sparked a very public flurry of speculation over who would commit the murder and who might profit from it.

“He didn’t have the respect his father had, but he did have respect.

“He operated while using the family name. There was no doubt about that,” said one police source who speculated that reprisals are likely to follow.

“The (Rizzuto) family has gone down (in terms of power). It’s clear now.”

Police sources said Nick Rizzuto, 42, was believed to be handling the financial aspects of his father’s business while Vito Rizzuto was in prison in the U.S., where he continues to serve a 10-year sentence for a racketeering conviction involving the 1981 killings of three Mafia captains.

The family’s influence appears to have been significantly weakened by the absence of Vito Rizzuto, its charismatic leader who is behind bars in a federal correctional complex in Colorado. His extradition to the U.S. was soon followed by arrests in 2006 in Project Colisée. Six men portrayed as leaders in the organization have since been convicted of crimes related to the investigation into the Montreal Mafia. Only one of the six, Nick Rizzuto’s grandfather Nicolo, is not behind bars. But his actions are limited because he is still on probation as part of his 2008 sentence.

While the perception of slayings involving organized crime is usually that of quiet efficiency, Monday's murder was committed in about as public a place as possible, on a stretch of Upper Lachine Rd. in Notre Dame de Grâce.

The police perimeter erected around the spot where Nick Rizzuto fell, shot four to six times in the upper body, extended for two blocks. It was lined with journalists and curious residents who heard Rizzuto had been killed.

According to witnesses, Rizzuto was attacked by a single male assailant who fled on foot west along Upper Lachine Rd. and then south along Melrose Ave. By 6 p.m., witnesses had described Rizzuto’s assailant as a black male wearing a hood, dark coat and blue jeans.

On the southeast corner of the intersection of Wilson and Upper Lachine Rd., just a few metres away from where Rizzuto was found sprawled near a black Mercedes sports car, police could be seen walking through the second-floor offices of FTM Construction, owned by Antonio Magi, who, in an interview this month with The Gazette, acknowledged his business relationship with the victim.

“We had bought a piece of land together which we are developing,” Magi said of Rizzuto Jr. “He’s studied law and he’s a smart kid. He’s smart in real estate.

“The poor guy. He tries to do something in his life and, because of his family’s past history, every time he turns around he gets hit with something.”

That sentiment was echoed by some of those who posted their comments on The Gazette’s website after news of Rizzuto’s killing had become public.

“If anyone knew Nick they could tell you he was the nicest guy around,” wrote one poster who identified himself as Vincenze. “He was a loving father, a wonderful husband and a fantastic human being. … I certainly will miss the one-in-a-million guy who didn’t deserve the fate that was laid upon him this afternoon.”

On Monday, police did not officially identify Rizzuto as the city’s 31st homicide victim, describing him only as “someone known to police.”

But they did acknowledge investigators would have their work cut out for them, hearing from those who saw what happened to Rizzuto.

“There’s no question that we have a lot of witnesses,” said Montreal police spokesperson Olivier Lapointe.

“A lot of people are (home) on holidays, it happened in the middle of the day – 12:10 p.m. – we have people who heard the shots and people who saw things.”

Rizzuto’s murder occurred within a direct line of sight of six back balconies on an apartment block on Wilson and Upper Lachine Rd., and possibly within the focus of two surveillance cameras – one overlooking the entrance to a basement dépanneur and another affixed to the façade of Magi’s construction offices.

For the last three years, Rizzuto had been seen frequently at the building where he was shot Monday, the offices operated by Magi.

Magi did not specify in his interview with The Gazette which parcel of land they had purchased, but police sources have said in the past they believe Rizzuto was involved in a major residential project on Norman St. in Lachine and another in LaSalle.

Magi also told The Gazette he asked Rizzuto to take part in a meeting he had with a Montreal police investigator last summer. The investigator told Magi the police were trying to link a murder attempt against him on Aug. 11, 2008, to similar events in the city.

“The reason I did bring him in to meet (the investigator) was so she could ask him questions about me,” Magi said during the interview.

One police source said Monday Magi recently appeared to be expecting trouble.

“Since last week, (Magi’s) been walking around with three bodyguards,” the source said.

Rizzuto’s murder is the third carried out in Montreal this year involving a victim who was close to the Rizzuto organization. In January, Sam Fasulo, a high-level drug trafficker, was shot while driving through Montreal North and died two days later. Then, on Aug. 21, Frederico Del Peschio, 59, was shot as he arrived at a restaurant he co-owned on St. Laurent Blvd.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/ ... story.html

[Dobre]

Yeah there was also an article that said that the Rizzuto family wanted to align with some Montreal street gangs, and made some enemies within the Haitians..

[youngspade]

Yeah there was also an article that said that the Rizzuto family wanted to align with some Montreal street gangs, and made some enemies within the Haitians..

LOl uh o!

[thewestside]

There has also been articles about how the Mafia and street gangs in Montreal wanted to go their seperate ways.

Basically just about every theory for who killed Rizzuto Jr. and why has been floated over the past two days. Nobody, including law enforcement and organized crime experts, really know yet.

[Dobre]

There has also been articles about how the Mafia and street gangs in Montreal wanted to go their seperate ways.

Basically just about every theory for who killed Rizzuto Jr. and why has been floated over the past two days. Nobody, including law enforcement and organized crime experts, really know yet.

Something about a firebombing...

Don't they have fucking informants?

[youngspade]

There has also been articles about how the Mafia and street gangs in Montreal wanted to go their seperate ways.

Basically just about every theory for who killed Rizzuto Jr. and why has been floated over the past two days. Nobody, including law enforcement and organized crime experts, really know yet.

Something about a firebombing...

Don't they have #%@&#%@ informants?

LOL thas funny hahah


I believe the hatians are campable of a hit like that in the United States, very powerful, lowkey organization!

[thewestside]

Something about a firebombing...

Don't they have #%@&#%@ informants?

Over a week's time in late October/early November, four Italian cafes were "firebombed" in Montreal. Firebomb might be an overstatement since molotov cocktails were involved and there was only minor damage done to the places. By late November the attempted arson attacks had grown to nine. One or two black guys (Haitian) I believe were arrested for at least some of the arsons but investigators could not establish if they had any street gang affiliations.

I believe the hatians are campable of a hit like that in the United States, very powerful, lowkey organization!

The question is, whoever did it, what do they have to gain by taking out the son of Vito Rizzuto?

[youngspade]

^^^^^^^^

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^^^
^

You said this my nigga : Basically just about every theory for who killed Rizzuto Jr. and why has been floated over the past two days. Nobody, including law enforcement and organized crime experts, really know yet.One or two black guys (Haitian) I believe were arrested for at least some of the arsons but investigators could not establish if they had any street gang affiliations.

I said : I believe the hatians are campable of a hit like that in the United States, very powerful, lowkey organization!



You then said : The question is, whoever did it, what do they have to gain by taking out the son of Vito Rizzuto?

Im confused! my nigga lol....., but yeah they gain by disrupting the leadership of the family and his fathers most trusted person asfAR aslike family family! And what crimes are they involved with that involves turf that would make Hatians get over them or the Hatians could of felt disrespected by them in not realizing how much strength and power they got in AlOT of places in the world! Canada is one of them too lowkey! They wouldnt take disrespect and trying to be pushover by "The White Devil" - They really think like that lol!

[whiskeyjack]

youngspade they aint doing it over i hate the white devil shit, if whoever is involved its because of that turf war shit or crime politics or even revenge. Up here everyones low key... That same bad attitude is prevalent amongst all

[youngspade]

youngspade they aint doing it over i hate the white devil shit, if whoever is involved its because of that turf war shit or crime politics or even revenge. Up here everyones low key... That same bad attitude is prevalent amongst all

I know im saying they do think that way also but its of course of business!

[CheGuevara]

Just because some Haitians were arrested for the arson attacks, it doesn't mean a Haitian gang would actually pull something like this. Like a poster said above, what can they gain by killing Rizzuto? Well I know the Hell's Angel's could gain by destablizing one, if not the most powerful organization in Canada.

I think the only people to suspect here are the motorcycle gangs in Montreal or elsewhere.

Now none of you "White devil" hating people flip out when I say this, but where do Haitians even fit into the organized crime picture in Canada? I haven't read extensively on every ethnic group in Canada but Haitian is a word that never came up during my reading.

[Dobre]

Just because some Haitians were arrested for the arson attacks, it doesn't mean a Haitian gang would actually pull something like this. Like a poster said above, what can they gain by killing Rizzuto? Well I know the Hell's Angel's could gain by destablizing one, if not the most powerful organization in Canada.

I think the only people to suspect here are the motorcycle gangs in Montreal or elsewhere.

Now none of you "White devil" hating people flip out when I say this, but where do Haitians even fit into the organized crime picture in Canada? I haven't read extensively on every ethnic group in Canada but Haitian is a word that never came up during my reading.

LOL @ Your reading.. xD

Now, they can gain something...but it's mostly symbolic like street recognition and a bullet in the head.

Oh he had enough balls and little brains to firebomb a Rizzuto backed business....

But...he paid for it with his life...

He had his moment of infamy, and now it's too late..

[Faciulina]

the shooting was planned within his mafia family it's the most credible thing all the rest is BS

[youngspade]

the shooting was planned within his mafia family it's the most credible thing all the rest is BS

Hes not even a boss so its not someone trying to rise to power either! Internally!

[Carmelo_Sicily]

It very well could be someone trying to rise to power. Vito is in jail, Nick the grandfather is under strict watch from the police and now the son is dead. So with that you have to wonder if the Calabrians or someone else is out to get revenge on Vito and his family for what they did back in 78 when they killed Paolo. Everybody has their time...live by the gun, die by the gun.

[thewestside]

Just because some Haitians were arrested for the arson attacks, it doesn't mean a Haitian gang would actually pull something like this. Like a poster said above, what can they gain by killing Rizzuto? Well I know the Hell's Angel's could gain by destablizing one, if not the most powerful organization in Canada.

I think the only people to suspect here are the motorcycle gangs in Montreal or elsewhere.

Now none of you "White devil" hating people flip out when I say this, but where do Haitians even fit into the organized crime picture in Canada? I haven't read extensively on every ethnic group in Canada but Haitian is a word that never came up during my reading.

Once again I hesitate to offer any theories because there is just really nothing concrete yet. If officials differ on who the most likely ones are behind the murder. That said, biker gangs would probably be last on my list of possible crime groups who were behind it. The Mafia and the bikers have a long history of working together. Montreal police even had the two groups actually sitting down in one of Rizzuto's restaurants and fixing the price of drugs in the city. Both groups have suffered setbacks in the wake of recent big time busts but are still the two biggest dogs in the kennel, so to speak. If history is any guide, it wouldn't surprise me if this was internal between the Italians.

[CheGuevara]

the fact that they work so closely together is why i point them out. the sudden semi-collapse of the family gives urge to associates to capitalize on it. the biker gangs are dominant in canada alongside italians and others.

whatever the case may be, it's all hints and guesses until a judge bangs his little wooden hammer.

[DutchGangster69]

Italians go down like dogs everywhere.

[Faciulina]

Italians go down like dogs everywhere.

what do you mean you idiot? italians dominate almost everywhere included your own country the murder was planned within the montreal mafia faction hells angels are nobody compared to mafia if they would do it they litterally will be destroied in the whole canada the mafia has hundreds killers there if it was an outside attack tons of sicilian and calabrian shooters are in the streets to find and hit every hell angel involved in this or whoever involved

[Azure9920]

Now none of you "White devil" hating people flip out when I say this, but where do Haitians even fit into the organized crime picture in Canada? I haven't read extensively on every ethnic group in Canada but Haitian is a word that never came up during my reading.

Haitians are fairly involved in the street level distribution of drugs in Montreal. Minor players, but nonetheless there is some connection. I don't think either the Angels would hire a black person to kill someone for them. Hell, they don't even allow blacks to get patched. The two most logical scenarios(in my opinion) are either; Haitian drug dealers killing Nick Jr for...whatever reason. Newspapers are portraying him as the "street face" of the Rizzuto family, so it's possible he had interactions with Haitian drug groups, it could have been a random attempted robbery/carjacking(the area where he was killed has a large lower class black population) or it could just be an Italian power play. Regardless of what prison he's in, Vito is still the most powerful criminal in Canada, and retribution would be costly. Why not make it look like a random shooting to set up a switch in leadership?

[Faciulina]

Haitian drug dealers killing Nick Jr for...whatever reason. Newspapers are portraying him as the "street face" of the Rizzuto family, so it's possible he had interactions with Haitian drug groups, it could have been a random attempted robbery/carjacking(the area where he was killed has a large lower class black population) or it could just be an Italian power play.

only sicilian or calabrian mafia could do it, haitians are not so crazy to commit a similar suicide loool it's possibile that the bonanno's want to challenge the canadian faction

[Carmelo_Sicily]

I doubt the Bonannos are going to challenge it. They have enough shit to deal with down in New York, and Sal Montagna does not have that type of influence up there. He was merely a street boss chosen after a ton of indictments in New York.

[Faciulina]

I doubt the Bonannos are going to challenge it. They have enough shit to deal with down in New York, and Sal Montagna does not have that type of influence up there. He was merely a street boss chosen after a ton of indictments in New York

the bonanno's are litterally full of zips, i wouldn't no surprised if some emergent boss wants to challenge the power within the montreal mafia faction, although very powerful it's only a fraction of the bonanno's who have hundreds of members, anyway if haitians did it it means they have more balls than all the other groups combined but they risck an attack by both bonanno's, sicilian and calabrian mafia, it's not worth for them, they are just disorganized suburban gangs, the mafia shooters can find them easily

[youngspade]

I doubt the Bonannos are going to challenge it. They have enough shit to deal with down in New York, and Sal Montagna does not have that type of influence up there. He was merely a street boss chosen after a ton of indictments in New York

the bonanno's are litterally full of zips, i wouldn't no surprised if some emergent boss wants to challenge the power within the montreal mafia faction, although very powerful it's only a fraction of the bonanno's who have hundreds of members, anyway if haitians did it it means they have more balls than all the other groups combined but they risck an attack by both bonanno's, sicilian and calabrian mafia, it's not worth for them, they are just disorganized suburban gangs, the mafia shooters can find them easily

The Haitains stretch from Los Angeles to New York/Miami to Canada

The Mafia could get attacked anywhere in the US, but of course the italians would kill alot but dont think they wont lose anybody like they already have, so to say what if The Haitians lost a member from italians and this is just revenge?

[youngspade]

Haitian immigrants have constituted a very visible segment of American and Canadian society, dating back to before the independence of Haiti from France in 1804. Haiti's proximity to the United States, and its status as a free black republic in the years before the American Civil War, have contributed to this relationship. Many influential early American settlers and black freemen, including Jean Baptiste Point du Sable and W. E. B. du Bois, were of Haitian origin.

In modern times, large-scale emigration from Haiti is mostly due to the fact that they have been steadily migrating in significant numbers to the United States since the late 1950s—early 1960s, soon after François Duvalier (“Papa Doc”) became president of Haiti. The political repression that characterized the Duvalier period forced large numbers of Haitians to seek safer harbor in the United States. Sustained political oppression, economic hardship, and lack of opportunity continued to drive contingents of Haitian immigrants out of their homeland all throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s (Zéphir 1996, 2001; Catanese 1999).

Haitian immigration persists to the present day, as evidenced in the numerous reports of major news networks, such as those of CNN or the New York Times, about the boat people disembarking on the Florida shores as recently as October 2002. One The combination of push and pull factors led Haitians to cross the Caribbean Sea, by plane or by boat, legally or illegally, in order to reach the shores of America, the perceived land of opportunity, to begin new lives. An examination of the records of the Census Bureau as well as those of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) allows for reasonable inferences about the size of the legal Haitian population currently residing in the United States. Two However, estimates provided by community leaders who offer assistance to the illegal population as well suggest that the actual number of the Haitian diaspora is higher than that recorded in government documents. In short, there is good reason to believe that the Haitian diaspora in the United States exceeds 850,000, and according to community leaders may be close to 1 million.

Haitian community in the country, with an estimated 329,883 of the 694,123 Haitians nationwide. And their status as one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups is reflected in their political gains. Florida boasts two Haitian-American state lawmakers, and another recently served as secretary of health under former Gov. Jeb Bush, who actively courted the community's votes. In Chicago, Kwame Raoul, the son of Haitian émigrés, now fills Sen. Barack Obama's former state Senate seat. And Pierre-Richard Prosper, the son of Haitian doctors, served as U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes after he was nominated by President Bush in January 2001. He ended his term in 2005. Under heavy lobbying by the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus and some Republicans, Congress last month enacted the HOPE Act, and President Bush signed it. The act provides duty-free imports for some Haitian textiles. The Bush administration also spared Haiti some of the deep aid cuts that hit other Latin American nations. The Congressional Black Caucus has long been Haiti's strongest advocate, urging more economic aid and criticizing the lack of U.S. support for former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, ousted in 2004 amid a violent uprising. And after the elections last November, Democrats active on Haiti issues now hold key posts. Michigan Rep. John Conyers heads the Judiciary Committee, giving him a key say on immigration and refugee matters. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York now chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, which steers U.S. trade policy, among other matters. One member of that committee is U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, who is traveling to Haiti today to discuss immigration issues with President René Préval and the U.S. ambassador in Port-au-Prince. -->

and i let the internet show they;ve been here and strong..

[Faciulina]

The Mafia could get attacked anywhere in the US, but of course the italians would kill alot but dont think they wont lose anybody like they already have, so to say what if The Haitians lost a member from italians and this is just revenge?

yes but i don't think somebody would risk to attack the mafia in new york or jersey, it would be a suicide, the mafia could be attacked only where it has a minor presence, i don't know if the montreal mafia faction is independent now or it is still a faction of bonanno's, if it's still a faction it was a declaration of war against the bonanno's and they could send shooters from ny to montreal to support the rizzuto's, but i think it's an internal question

[Azure9920]

I doubt the Bonannos are going to challenge it. They have enough shit to deal with down in New York, and Sal Montagna does not have that type of influence up there. He was merely a street boss chosen after a ton of indictments in New York.

I doubt Sal Montagna has any pull over the Rizzuto's, lol.

[thewestside]

yes but i don't think somebody would risk to attack the mafia in new york or jersey, it would be a suicide, the mafia could be attacked only where it has a minor presence, i don't know if the montreal mafia faction is independent now or it is still a faction of bonanno's, if it's still a faction it was a declaration of war against the bonanno's and they could send shooters from ny to montreal to support the rizzuto's, but i think it's an internal question

The formal ties between the Montreal faction, i.e. the Rizzuto family and the Bonanno family in New York ended when Joe Massino had Gerlando Sciascia killed back in 1999. Even before then the Rizzutos had been operating mostly independently, only occassionly sending tribute down to New York.

[Faciulina]

The formal ties between the Montreal faction, i.e. the Rizzuto family and the Bonanno family in New York ended when Joe Massino had Gerlando Sciascia killed back in 1999. Even before then the Rizzutos had been operating mostly independently, only occassionly sending tribute down to New York.

so it could be that the bonanno's want to take over montreal faction again and push rizzuto's aside, i know sal catalano was released recently from prison and there are several zips around who want emerge

[youngspade]

I like when you guys all give your imputs to a topic without

"Italians this or ALBANIANS killed more in CANADA than anybody!"

This topic is healthy!





But if the bannanos want some old bad blood spilled its possible, I know alot about the mafias.....so even a small faction of bannanos could be trying to escape

[thewestside]

The Bonannos don't have anything to do with this.