Buffalo/Ontario Mob Acitivity

[Frank]

So the musitanos were in the buffalo lcn?

Not sure if either one was made. Could be Buffalo or Bonanno

[SantoClaus]

Antonio Iavarone is currently under investigation by the RCMP.

https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/ ... stigation/

[SantoClaus]

The article to which I’ve linked below is behind a paywall for me at the moment.

Mob wars: Hamilton’s criminal underworld is ‘wide open’

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-r ... -open.html

To read the article above, please use the link below to my Evernote item.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s229/sh/ ... 6d4562e844

If any of you have been reading all the articles that Nicole O'Reilly, Peter Edwards, Adrian Humphreys, and Susan Clairmont have written about Pat Musitano's murder, you'll see how each journalist has a certain take on the significance of the murder, the motive for the murder, the relationships between Musitano(s) and other mobsters/groups, and the consequences of the murder. Same with the organized-crime experts (James Dubro, Antonio Nicaso, Anna Sergi) who are quoted in articles or interviewed on radio/TV.

It’s hilarious how cops like Mike Csoke, want to talk tough now that the Musitano are gone. I’ve met the guy, arrogant as they get. Loves talking about himself, typical wanna be tough guy cop.

Since when does being a retired cop, mean a guy can just run his mouth, or anyone else for that matter? Southern Italians have the longest memories, just look at history lol and definitely very forgive.

Hamilton is such a mud poole, low grade, lack leadership. It’s only going to get worse for people like them IMO.

[antimafia]

The questions and answers I've copy-pasted farther below are from

https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2020 ... tions.html
(Live now: Peter Edwards answers your questions about organized crime)

I tried to address formatting issues after I copy-pasted.

Legend for the copy-pasted questions and answers below and on the webpage: TS=Toronto Star; PE (green icon on webpage)=Peter Edwards; PE (purple icon on webpage)=some wiseguy who decided to use the initials "PE" and refer to himself as "Peter"

This event involving Peter Edwards started earlier today at 12:00 pm EST. I did not have time to participate, not even to read others' submitted questions -- some people submitted a day ago.
___________________

Toronto Star
Thanks everyone for the great questions. Peter worked some overtime to get to all of them. We'll turn this article into a repackaged question-answer format, so bookmark this page and check back tomorrow to read that. See ya next time! - Braydon

PE
Peter
Thanks to everyone. Great questions! Please contact me at pedwards@thestar.ca if you want. Cheers

FR
Frank
Is there a dominant crime group in Ontario? Or is it evenly split amongst crime groups?

PE
Peter

Reply to Frank
Good question. 'Ndrangheta in York Region certainly up there but they don't control other groups. A lot of them stay in their own lanes. Tow trucks interesting because several groups fighting there for same business.

FR
Frank
For the past few years, it appeared that businesses owned by the same ethnic crime group, ie: gambling, bakeries and restaurants were getting blown up or shot up. Was this in fighting amongst the ‘Ndtangheta or between other groups and the traditional organized crime?

PE
Peter
Reply to Frank
It can really vary. Can be either. Depends on case. Some guys blow up their own businesses for insurance too.

PJ
PJ
What are your thoughts on police corruption? After covering organized crime for years. I suppose it’s part of the trade? Corrupt police officers, politicians, and so forth work hand in hand with criminals? I feel like we are lead to believe living in Canada, corruption barely happens compared to a place like Mexico. But I’m sure you can attest that it does and has always.

PE
Peter

Reply to PJ
There are some police I totally trust and others not so much. It really varies. Some reporters I believe more than others as well.

PJ
PJ

With the current border closures. Has smuggling still occurred through the ports and borders? Seems like less traffic would deter organized crime as their is a higher chance of being caught? Or as you mentioned if the port of Montreal is heavily influenced by bikers and Italians it does not matter?

PE
Peter

Reply to PJ
Smuggling multi-ethnic. All sorts of groups. Trucking companies useful for them. They can have compartments built into trucks. Authorities can't check everything. Lots of cocaine comes through Chicago in trucks. Chicago big cartel centre.

PJ
PJ

Interesting. Would think organized crime would be affected by covid19 but as you mentioned, they adjust like any other business.

PE
Peter

Reply to PJ
Some have been for sure, but others can fill gap. Drug users will pay almost anything. Fentanyl very concentrated so not that tough to smuggle. Alot of health frauds expected. Fraud is a big business for them. Not glamourous but profitable.

AM
Anna Marie

Does the mafia still have 'social' clubs in the back of a store, bakery etc., where they have their meetings, play cards etc? I'm thinking Vaughan and Woodbridge. What was the most recent case where places and vehicles were bugged? Do they still use that?

PE
Peter

Reply to Anna Marie
Yes social clubs still big. GPS devices sometimes used on cars.

PE
Peter

Reply to Anna Marie
There were very interesting police bugs in Hamilton case called Otremens. An American was inducted into Mafia while working for police.

AM
Anna Marie

Reply to Peter
WOW!! Buffalo? when I went to Sicily with my father, I brought a book. its a mafia tourism book, which lists locations of monuments and plaques to judges etc.., killed by mafia while doing their job. anything like that here? Finally, I am so thankful that you gave us this opportunity. i'm sad about Bad Blood, but look forward to what's next!

PE
Peter

Reply to Anna Marie
Thanks for kind words. I'm sad about Bad Blood too but I'm confident we'll make something soon that we can also be proud of.

LE
Lesley

Do you think the tow truck wars are related to mafia? do you anticipate more arrests for unsolved homicides related to the tow truck war?

PE
Peter

Reply to Lesley
York Regional police said there are four organized crime groups involved, and that's just York Region. It's way beyond Mafia.

DA
David

What are some of the rules to reporting on gang related crimes? Do you ever fear retribution from gang members for revealing too much in your stories?

PE
Peter

Reply to David
Good question. I leave families out of it. I try to communicate at businesses. I think I'm pretty safe because I work at a big media outlet and it would generate publicity if I was attacked. I am friends with Michel Auger, Quebec reporter who was shot half dozen times. That attack sparked lots of action against organized crime. I feel badly for reporters in Mexico. They're routinely murdered. Much safer here.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
I have been threatened though.

TS
Toronto Star

Question from Facebook: Are the recent gun control measures on registered gun owners "the" most effective, or even to be considered "among" the most effective ways to address gun crime and violence in Canada? If not, can you give examples of sensible options?

PE
Peter

Reply to Toronto Star
I think it could be addressed in sentencing for crimes. I think it could also be addressed in penalties for people bringing guns into country.

OL
oliver

These guys are often well known by the police. They often end up in jail for five or 10 years, or shot dead by rivals... Is it really worth it for them?

LY
Lynn

Are there politicians that do the fronting for mob interests? To what extent is the construction industry compromised by mafia or other such groups? You are an incredible reporter!

PE
Peter

Reply to Lynn
They can benefit from politicians who are very close and politicians who are willfully blind and honest ones who are simply fooled.
Construction is a traditional source of revenue for mob. The right zoning can greatly boost property values for developers and zoning changes don't generate embarrassing headlines. Putting a hospital in the right place helps too. Getting people on police services boards is useful. Immigration matters useful too.
There are subtle but effective ways politicians can help them.
Thanks for kind words!

PE
Peter

I'm looking forward to it. Don't be shy and if you are shy, please email me later at pedwards@thestar.ca

AM
Anna Marie

Peter. Is there now, or has there ever been, La Cosa Nostra in Ontario? Will there be a Season 3 of Bad Blood? Did anyone get the licence plate number of the vehicle used in the Pat Musitano murder? Thanks so much for all of your reporting!

TS
Toronto Star

Reply to Anna Marie
Hi Anna Marie, Peter is responding to your message right now. Thanks for joining us!

PE
Peter

Reply to Anna Marie
The short answers are: yes there has been La Cosa Nostra in Ontario and yes there still is.
There are various types of Mafia activity here, in addition to several other types of organized crime.
The biggest Mafia group in Ontario today is called 'Ndrangheta and it has its roots in Calabria in southern Italy.
The 'Ndrangheta is broken into little cells who sometimes battle with each other.
The Sicilian Mafia has deeper roots in the U.S. and Quebec than in Ontario.
The Sicilian Mafia was hard hit in Europe and North America by police action and infighting.
Meanwhile, the 'Ndrangheta is growing strongly in the U.S. and Quebec, as well as the GTA.
Family is central in all of these groups but there are plenty of non-related associates who are extremely useful to the group. There's one person I'm extremely curious about right now whose background is British and he seems to fly under the radar while working with Niagara Region Mafia groups. He's not a member but he has the reputation of being a loyal good earner and of being quite brave, even though he's jockey-sized and a senior citizen.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
My background is British and former Hamilton mobster Tony Musitano liked to kid me that people with my bloodlines have done some pretty bad things too. He particularly liked the Kim Coates character of Declan in Bad Blood because he's non-Italian. It's a big mistake to write organized crime off as just an Italian thing.
I've met some extremely brave journalists and police with Italian heritage who work against this stuff. Back in the late 1980s, a reporter in Palermo, Sicily gave me a long tutorial on how to report on it when I was just starting out.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there will be a Season 3 of Bad Blood. It was a great team and a great experience.
On a happier note, Mark Montefiore, the brains behind Bad Blood from New Metric Media, is working with my agent Juliet Forrester and I on several other projects that are organized crime based. Hopefully we can announce something soon.
I really appreciate your kind words. I was thinking this morning how lucky I am. I get to write for the paper that once ran the work of Ernest Hemingway, Michele Landsberg, Jocko Thomas, Milt Dunnell and my friend, the late Randy Starkman. I know I'm fortunate.
I don't know about the license plate number. Police would be check area security cameras and dash cam cameras for license plate numbers. Often the cars used for this sort of thing are stolen, however. I was surprised to hear that some Quebeckers in Hamilton actually drove their own Mercedes with Quebec plates for a dirty job.

AM
Anna Marie

Reply to Peter
I was born and raised in Burlington. I have family in Hamilton. My maiden name, is Castellano. My father was born in Sicily, and we still have family there. always curious about my ancestry. so far no known mobsters. So I try to keep up with what's going on. Rizutto's were la cosa nostra, and weren't other Ndrangheta families mad that the Musitano's (who were sicilian) were meeting with him? Thanks

PE
Peter

Reply to Anna Marie
I know people from mob families who aren't criminal. All the Gretzkys can't play hockey.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
Yes, that's a key point about Pat Musitano. He was Calabrian but worked under top Sicilian, Vito Rizzuto. Then Rizzuto died and he was left alone.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
It's easy to be paranoid in that world. A cop who really knew it told me that you don't have to worry about your enemies because it's your friends that'll do you in. That has turned out to be true in what I've seen. You always wonder who the betrayer was. Sometimes it's even family.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
I think the worst part about that life is the paranoia. A former drug pilot once talked about how much more relaxed he was among non-criminals. He would joke, "Help, I'm being chased by paranoids."

PJ
PJ

Love reading your articles Mr Edwards! Great work on the recent murder in Hamilton.
How has covid19 affected organized crime in Canada. Sports Gambling? Seems like their isn’t any sports to gamble on. I suppose poker, blackjack still being played at private underground Dens? Drug Trafficking? Especially with the border closures, seems like I’ve read about a lot more seizures, with imported substances. Extortion? Seems like plenty of small business have lost a lot of money from not being able to open or open with restrictions. Unions? Tow-Truck Schemes/Corruption?. What kind of adjustments have organized crime made during this time. Or are they losing money at the moment, considering how the world has been affected.
In a city like Toronto how many syndicates are there? From the Italians to Bikers to Asian to eastern euro organized groups. Just seems like it would be difficult to be head honcho compared to a smaller city like a Hamilton, where it seems like their are different factions of the Italian Mob fighting for their place.
What has been the biggest differences you have noticed in organized crime throughout the years covering it since the late 80s? Any differences between how organized crime is run in Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton. Seems like corruption happens everyone but Montreal/Quebec seems like a haven for organized crime.
Any books that you are currently working on? Or tv shows?
Thanks

PE
Peter

Reply to PJ
PJ
Thanks!
COVID-19 has made a mess of sports gambling, but die-hard gamblers will always still gamble on something.
COVID-19 has been a boost for some fentanyl makers/ some, who had access to all of the necessary chemicals to make it. For a GTA-related example, google my name, "Sam Gor" and "June 16."
Organized crime is extremely adaptable and there seems to be lots of movement into medical scams connected to COVID-19 and government payouts around it.
Extortion is tough nowadays because it's tough to squeeze someone who just doesn't have the money. Some mob people invested heavily in real estate. It's hard to collect from broke tenants as well.
There are literally hundreds of organized crime groups in the GTA - including an estimated 150 street gangs alone.
I've never heard of Toronto ever having one big crime boss for everyone in the underworld. Vito Rizzuto in Montreal managed to pull together all sorts of groups but I don't think we'll ever see anyone like him again.
There are differences from place to place. Montreal is 385 miles or so from New York City, which is a huge drug market. Montreal is also a port city, making smuggling fairly easy. Montreal is also a huge Hells Angels centre. Once an Ontario biker said that if it's just me and him, we can talk. If it's me and him and Ontario bikers in the background, I should watch what I say. If it's me and him and Quebec bikers, I should keep quiet and not even look at him.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
Toronto is extremely diverse and changing. There's a lot of crossover between groups. Some smaller, younger groups just do the enforcement/ hits for the bigger groups.
Hamilton is changing fast. There's a vacuum at the moment and it will be filled quickly.
Your comment about corruption is important. You can't have real organized crime without corruption. That's why they current tow truck story in the GTA is so interesting.
I'm working on a couple of books right now that have been delayed because of the pandemic. Court cases are on hold and it's hard to travel because of COVID-19.
My agent Juliet Forrester and I have optioned several stories to New Metric Media, who made Bad Blood. I'm hopeful that things will gear up when the pandemic finally winds down.
The biggest differences I have noticed concern the internet. The Internet makes it easier for small groups like the Wolfpack Alliance to start up. The internet helps various organized crime groups connect. Geography doesn't matter as much.
My friend Luis Najera, a Mexican organized crime journalist in exile, notes that the Internet allows you to reach further but your thoughts are often fragmented.

LY
Lynn

Reply to PJ
Great questions PJ! I want to know too

TS
Toronto Star

Reply to Lynn
Thanks for joining Lynn! Peter just answered above.

PJ
PJ

Reply to Peter
Thanks for your response Mr. Edwards. Appreciate all the information. Very interesting .

PE
Peter

With so many of the traditional mob dead or in custody, is this the end for them in southern Ontario? And perhaps in Montreal. With the Wolf Pack Alliance and Hell"s Angel's filling the vacuum? Thanks. Peter B. Kitchener, ON EDITED

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
There's a changing of the guard underway.
It's also a time for some of the old guard who are doing well to reach out into places like Hamilton.
Good point about the Wolfpack Alliance (I have seen it spelled both ways but saw "Wolfpack" on a medallion).
The Wolfpack are largely millennial mobsters, who don't have a strict hierarchy and who connect much of the time through the internet. They don't like being bossed around and are impatient. They're extremely mobile. They take in people from other groups, including at least one Hells Angel from B.C. It's a hard model to sustain but they are big earners and they are dangerous.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
Groups like Wolfpack rise very quickly but don't last long. B.C. has a lot of that activity and now there's a lot of interaction between GTA and Vancouver area.

Peter
Peter

I'm just learning about the Musitanos and organized crime in Canada. Is there much for organized crime/crime families in Atlantic Canada that you know of? Thanks!

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
Atlantic Canada is prime for smuggling and it has been that way for generations. Long ago, I met a pilot for the Medellin cocaine cartel who would fly into the Maritimes. He's Doug Jaworski and I wrote a book on him called The Big Sting.
The Maritimes are close to the big markets of Montreal and New York.
On the downside for criminals, outsiders often stand out there.
While I was working on Jaworski's story, I heard of a member of a Medellin cartel hit team who was locked up in a New Brunswick jail where the guards didn't have guns. The joke was that if there was a break out, the guards would shout, "Stop or I'll shout stop again!"

WE
Wes

What would you say would be the best way to completely eliminate organized crime in Canada?

PE
Peter

Reply to Wes
Wes
Great question!
A good start would be to do all we can to curb drug use.
I think we should do all we can to help people kick drug and alcohol abuse. It's not just the right thing to do, it's also better for society as a whole.
It takes courage to try to kick drugs and we should support the people who are making the effort.
A member of the old Rock Machine biker gang once told me that he didn't like being called a "drug pusher" because people came to him for drugs and they paid big money.
It was sad but true.
It's amazing how many bad decisions by people it takes to support the drug trade.
It's also amazing how people will put that stuff into their bodies, when it has often been spiked with even more deadly substances like fentanyl. Many people in the drug trade aren't great chemists. They don't really know what they're selling and yet people buy it and stick it in their arms and up their nose on a regular basis.
It's significant that major, high end gangsters tend to stay away from drugs. Many of them look down on drug users, which makes it easier to do what they do.
I also think that we should do all we can to deal with family violence. Some people who have done extremely violent things have told me about their childhoods, and how they routinely saw their mothers beaten by their fathers. Violence becomes normalized and it's not surprising to see it spill over onto the streets.

PE
Peter

Reply to Wes
I also think we should do all we can about gun control. I know criminals can always get guns but it bothers me that it's so easy. It also bothers me that third-rate criminals can easily get guns.
I know that we have a huge border with the U.S., where guns are cheap and plentiful.
That said, we can do more. Japan, Britain and Switzerland have strict gun control and they have far lower gun homicide rates.
I think corruption convictions should carry stiffer sentences. No one does major prison time for illegally tapping to police computers.
I don't know if we can completely eliminate it, but we can greatly shrink it.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter - view message
Some of those things I have mentioned aren't as dramatic as big arrests but they have more lasting value.

PE
Peter

Reply to Peter
It also only makes sense that if a kid sees his mother beaten in the home, and the system doesn't protect her, then he's not going to respect the system.

[antimafia]

Paul Manning's tweet from almost 20 mins. ago:

Paul Manning @mobinfiltrator

Someones car get burnt out on his driveway last night?

#mobwar #mafia #organizedcrime #hamont
10:11 AM · Jul 17, 2020·Twitter Web App

[johnny_scootch]

FAT PAT MUSITANO MADE PACT WITH RIZZUTOS IN MONTREAL, IT ULTIMATELY LED TO HIS MURDER

Scott Burnstein


July 15, 2020 – Slain Hamilton (ON) mafia don Pasquale (Fat Pat) Musitano got backing from the Montreal mob in his climb to power back in the late 1990s, according to RCMP records related to Montreal’s Rizzuto crime family, and the Rizzutos supported his desire to bump off all local gangland players loyal to Buffalo’s Magaddino crime family. Fat Pat’s connection to Quebec mafia czar Vito Rizzuto would eventually pull him and his brother into a mob war they would both fall victim to.

The bold and cocksure 53-year old Musitano was murdered last Friday in broad daylight in a Burlington, Ontario shopping mall parking lot, bringing a brutal end to the Musitano mob dynasty in Hamilton that traces its roots all the way back to the 1930s. Per the RCMP documents, Musitano met with Montreal Godfather Vito Rizzuto and one of Rizzuto’s top lieutenants in the months before and after Musitano ordered the high-profile slayings of Hamilton capo John (Johnny Pops) Papalia and Niagara Falls capo Carmen Barillaro, both of the Buffalo family, in 1997, in an effort to consolidate rackets in the area.

Rizzuto’s extradition to the U.S. in to serve time behind bars for a famous triple murder he participated in 25 years previous plunged the Canadian underworld into chaos and ultimately a war that still rages today and claimed the life of girthy Fat Pat Mustiano last week. His younger brother and almost equally-rotund underboss Angelo (Big Ange) Musitano was gunned down in his driveway three years ago.

Rizzuto died of cancer in 2013. The Rizzuto mob empire took form in Quebec in the late 1970s after the assassination of Montreal mafia street boss Paolo Violi, a hit Rizzuto’s dad, crime family patriarch, Nicolo (Uncle Nick) Rizzuto, is believe to have ordered. Uncle Nick Rizzuto was a casualty of the war in 2010, shot dead in his kitchen by a sniper’s rifle.

Violi’s sons, Dom and Joe, took refuge in Hamilton under the protection of Buffalo’s Magaddino clan and their grandfather, stately local don Giacomo Luppino. Today, Dom Violi, 54, is the Buffalo mob’s alleged underboss.

Violi was caught on a 2017 wiretap predicting Fat Pat Musitano’s demise, the same year he ascended to the crime family’s No. 2 spot at a ceremony in Florida, per court records. CeCe Luppino, a grandson to “Don Giacomo,” was killed last year in Hamilton, another victim of the ongoing gangland conflict in the Great White North.

The roots of Musitano’s reign were planted by his paternal bloodline, but you can trace his downfall directly to his hubris and oversized ambition. More specifically, his grandiose vision of a complete takeover of the Hamilton mafia and the murders of Johnny Pops and his entire crew in the 1990s.

When the beloved Giacomo Luppino died of natural causes in 1987 at 87 years old, the crass, snarling Johnny Pops took over as capo of the Buffalo mob faction in Hamilton. Dominic Musitano, Fat Pat’s dad, ran his own crime family in the area, founded by his uncle Angelo (The Beast) Musitano back in the 1930s, and had cordial relations with Papalia’s crew.

After Dominic Musitano died of a heart attack in 1995, Fat Pat assumed the throne in the Musitano crime family and crafted an alliance with the Rizzutos in Montreal. He headquartered his affairs out of The Gathering Spot, his downtown Hamilton bar and restaurant, and set his sights on picking off the Papalia crew, one by one.

Around this same time, Vito Rizzuto was feuding with Johnny Pops over a $7,000,000 loan Rizzuto had given him and that was never repaid, according RCMP informants. Musitano wanted Papalia’s territory and leveraged Rizzuto’s beef into backing for his gangland power play.

Enio (Pegleg) Mora, Johnny Pops’ top enforcer, was the first to go.

Mora was killed in his gold-plated Cadillac on September 11, 1996 in the Toronto suburb of Vaughan. In April 1997, Fat Pat Mustiano met with Gaetano (Guy) Panepinto, Vito Rizzuto’s capo representing his interests in Ontario, at a Niagara Falls casino to discuss future measures in his quest to eliminate Papalia’s Buffalo mob faction, according to RCMP records.

On May 31, 1997, Johnny Pops was shot to death outside his Galaxy Vending Co. headquarters by Musitano hit man Kenny Murdock. Fat Pat and his brother Big Ange attended Papalia’s funeral for public appearance sake. Johnny Pops’ second-in-charge, Carmen Barillaro, who was based out of Niagara Falls, drove to Buffalo immediately after the funeral and had a meeting with then Buffalo mob boss Joseph (Lead Pipe Joe) Todaro to voice his displeasure and state his plans for revenge, per RCMP informants.

Barillaro never got the chance.

Murdock and Big Ange Musitano stalked and killed Barillaro at his own doorstep on July 23, 1997. Three nights later, on July 26, 1997, RCMP surveillance teams watched as Fat Pat threw himself a coronation at The Gathering Spot, with soldiers and lieutenants from all across Canada coming to pay their respects and offer their congratulations.

Fat Pat Musitano and his cousin, Joe (Pino) Avignone, met with Vito Rizzuto and Guy Panepinto at a Hamilton restaurant on the evening of October 22, 1997, per RCMP surveillance logs. Among the topics of discussion, according to RCMP documents, was Musitano’s desire to bump off the Violi brothers and several of members of the Luppino family.

Murdock was busted for extortion in 1998 and flipped, making it so Fat Pat could never follow through on his plan to snuff out the remaining Violi and Luppino bloodlines in the Canadian mafia. With Murdock turning on him, Fat Pat pleaded guilty to the Papalia and Barillaro murders and did eight years in prison.

Pino Avignone was with Musitano when he was killed last week and wounded in the attack. Avignone did prison time for his role in the 1983 conspiracy to murder Toronto mafia prince Dom Racco.

Panepinto was slain in the fall of 2000. The Panepinto hit allegedly spawned from a dispute with Toronto mob don Jimmy DeMaria over a pair of unsanctioned murders of DeMaria’s men. DeMaria, 66, is currently fighting a deportation order.

[johnny_scootch]

When the beloved Giacomo Luppino died of natural causes in 1987 at 87 years old, the crass, snarling Johnny Pops took over as capo of the Buffalo mob faction in Hamilton.


This was interesting part for me, anyone else agree with Scott on this point of Papalia taking over as Capo for Buffalo upon death of Luppino???

[antimafia]

Paul Manning's tweet from almost 20 mins. ago:

Paul Manning @mobinfiltrator

Someones car get burnt out on his driveway last night?

#mobwar #mafia #organizedcrime #hamont
10:11 AM · Jul 17, 2020·Twitter Web App

One of Paul Manning's Twitter followers posted the following link in response to Manning's tweet:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton ... -1.5653226

[SonnyBlackstein]

When the beloved Giacomo Luppino died of natural causes in 1987 at 87 years old, the crass, snarling Johnny Pops took over as capo of the Buffalo mob faction in Hamilton.


This was interesting part for me, anyone else agree with Scott on this point of Papalia taking over as Capo for Buffalo upon death of Luppino???

Agree this was the big point. Anyone have anything further on this?

Interesting about the $7mil loan as well.

[Moscone65]

It’s Pino Avignones house that they torched the cars

[Pogo The Clown]

Not sure if either of them was a Capo. There is a chart from 1987 that doesn't list either one. Does anyone have official info on this?


Pogo

[antimafia]

It’s Pino Avignones house that they torched the cars

Here's a link to Nicole O'Reilly's article, most of which I have not read because of the paywall:

Word ‘rat’ painted on mobster’s garage door where two cars were set ablaze
https://www.thespec.com/news/crime/2020 ... blaze.html

Below is an excerpt (what I could read):

Hamilton police are investigating a suspected arson after two cars were found engulfed in flames outside an east Mountain home where the word “rat” had been painted on the garage overnight.

The Hamilton Spectator has confirmed it is the residence of 59-year-old mobster Giuseppe (Pino) Avignone, a cousin who grew up like a brother to Mob boss Pasquale (Pat) Musitano and his siblings. He was with the 53-year-old Musitano when he was murdered a week ago in Burlington....

[Lupara]

When the beloved Giacomo Luppino died of natural causes in 1987 at 87 years old, the crass, snarling Johnny Pops took over as capo of the Buffalo mob faction in Hamilton.


This was interesting part for me, anyone else agree with Scott on this point of Papalia taking over as Capo for Buffalo upon death of Luppino???

Found that interesting too.

[Lupara]

Not sure if either of them was a Capo. There is a chart from 1987 that doesn't list either one. Does anyone have official info on this?


Pogo

Who then was the capo of the Canadian crew? It's quite possible the FBI didn't know. Their intel on the Montreal crew has also been seemingly limited. I guess they leave intel on Canada over to their local agencies.

[Pogo The Clown]

I don't know. But we shouldn't fall into the trap of taking a well known member or someone who ran the rackets in an outpost and just slapping the Capo label on him as so often happens on the Internet.


As for Montreal there are FBI reports and charts from the 1960s-1980s that list the Montreal Capo. Don't see how they wouldn't know about the Hamilton Capo by the late 80s. Luppino and Papalia were already well known names back then.


Pogo