Andrew Scoppa

[Etna]

i'm sure that montagna ordered the murder of nick jr, even if ducarme was the shooter, scoppa is probably not even made

I would highly doubt anyone else in the Montreal Mafia becomes officially "made" these days.

[CabriniGreen]

I appreciate you continuing to share these excerpts, Cabrini.

• Who are these Ontario people, if not Ndrangheta? Seriously, like did he really make all those trips to see the Violis? Or was it his fellow Castellemarese Scarcella?

- Who knows which Sicilian mafia figures might have been under the radar in Ontario along with Buffalo members and 'Ndrangheta. We don't know who the made Bonanno members were in Ontario during the 1960s/70s or how and if they maintained membership there later on. Montagna had a wide network of potential contacts when you consider the different connections he had and how many unknown unknowns there are.

- Giovanni Inzerillo and Filippo Casamento went to Toronto in 2004 to meet Michele Modica and Michele Marrese from Casteldaccia. Salvatore Calautti was supposedly in the center of the conflict when Modica went to war with Pietro Scarcella in Ontario later that year. Calautti was then linked with Montagna / Desjardins during the Montreal war.

- Calautti was connected to Sicilians in Quebec and Ontario though he was a Calabrian with alleged 'Ndrangheta connections. Decent indication, along with what we already know, that these circles cross over. Think to what Pennisi said in his recent interview, how the mafia and 'Ndrangheta in NYC can intuitively spot each other and there is comradery even though they can't formally recognize each other. In Canada it appears to go deeper and we see how Luppinos and Violis have ties to both.

- In an area like Ontario, Sicilians and Calabrians regularly interact and despite popular portrayals, different Italian ethnicities are more prone to cooperation than conflict through mafia history. The Cotroni crew is an example of that, with Calabrian leadership over people from all kinds of backgrounds, including Sicilian mafiosi, and if you look at these conflicts they aren't strictly Sicilian vs. Calabrian by any means.

- In the modern Montreal war, you had a Sicilian (Montagna) recruiting Sicilians (LoPresti, Arcuris) to kill other Sicilians (Rizzutos), some of them from the same town and with ties to the Sicilian mafia. The 2004 Modica / Scarcella conflict appears to have been primarily between Sicilians (including the Bonanno Montreal crew) though Calautti was involved. In Hamilton it appears the Calabrians are having each other killed. While they have had conflicts, you just don't see that many straight-up conflicts between Sicilians and Calabrians along ethnic lines.

- Has Calautti's 'Ndrangheta affiliation ever been confirmed? Hard to know someone's exact affiliation until inside info comes out, i.e. all of the accounts of the Violis and Luppinos being solely an 'Ndrangheta clan then an informant and tapes come out confirming they're multi-generation Buffalo members and part of the Buffalo-Ontario mafia leadership. If Calautti was involved with the 'Ndrangheta, he had a deep ongoing interest in serious Sicilian affairs in Ontario and Quebec.

- Has Scoppa said definitively in the book yet that he was a made member of the mafia? If I glossed over it, let me know, but I didn't see that, only a vague reference to Montreal no longer following traditional inductions (which could just as well describe the Bonanno family for decades). His comment sort of struck me as a Gene Borello "Nobody uses the term caporegime in the streets," which both Mike Franzese and John Pennisi have directly responded to, saying made members do use the term.

- If Scoppa's membership is confirmed somewhere, ignore this, but some of the Montreal coverage over the years reminds me of the old Philly newspaper headline about Frankie Flowers D'Alfonso becoming the new boss after Bruno's death. D'Alfonso was heavily involved in local gambling rackets and mafia figures had been seen showing him respect on surveillance after the Bruno hit, but he was an associate. Some of these Canadian articles announcing new leaders in Montreal come across that way. Maybe some of these individuals are heavily influential over "the Book", but based on what Scoppa has said "the Book" is a street tax that appears to have no relationship to any one organization.

- "The Book" is interesting in its own right... Scoppa makes it sound like the operations are so tightly bundled together that a completely different group (i.e. bikers) can readily take control of it from the mafia. In other cities, an attempt to take over a mafia group's entire extortion/collection operation would be piecemeal and chaotic. Scoppa's account gives the impression that the mafia in Montreal really is much more like a crew (that intersects on an operational level with other criminal groups) than the "Sixth Family Syndicate" it has been made out to be.

Montagna was with brothers Domenico and Antonino Arcuri, owners of the Ital Gelati ice cream factory, whom he had known for a long time.

Montagna knowing the Arcuris for "a long time" would back up the idea that he was familiar with Montreal Bonanno figures long before he was deported to Canada. He may have known Bonanno member Giuseppe Arcuri in NYC, a relative of the Montreal Arcuris. Giuseppe Renda attended Arcuri's wake in NYC.

• What exactly is the Toronto structure inreguards to the Rizzutos? The sixth family said it was very loose, more like business interest under the Rizzuto umbrella...

If we knew more history on Montreal's Toronto faction going back to Cotroni we might know more about the relationship later. Stefano Magaddino complains on his 1960s office tapes that the Bonannos made a number of members in Ontario. An early 1970s FBI report refers to a faction of Bonanno members in Ontario in addition to Montreal, all of them reporting to the Bonanno administration. Unfortunately no names are identified.

So the Bonannos had a faction in Ontario for 40+ years, but we an barely piece together the full membership / operations of the Montreal crew in any era, so it's even more difficult to try to figure out who and what the Bonanno family had in Ontario going back decades.

It's the issue with accounts that say the Rizzutos planted a flag on Ontario. We know the Bonanno family had a presence there from the time Cotroni became capodecina in the early 1960s, which would suggest some of what the Rizzutos did in Ontario had continuity from the previous regime. Or did the Cotroni-era interests in Ontario completely die out and the Rizzuto element established their own interests via their own independent contacts? I am of the belief that none of this operates in a vacuum and there is continuity and crossover in virtually everything that goes on in Canada.

• If any of this originated with NY, it came from Basicano, right? He, Sciascia, and Montagna were like the only guys that knew Canada enough to make a move, and I dont even think Basciano could have done what Montagna did up there because of a lack of familiarity with the surroundings... my opinion...

- The Bonanno family in 2004-2005 was in such a state of disarray that beyond wanting to maintain ties to Montreal I can't imagine they had the resources or interest to do much at the time.

- Dom Cicale said Basciano continued to push Montreal for tribute with Sal Montagna's help, which they delivered, but we don't know the extent of Basciano's contact with Montreal. Cicale also said Basciano continued to be receive drugs from Montreal after Sciascia's death and along with Montagna was one of the Bonanno members personally contacted by Joe Massino after Sciascia's murder to ensure no problems.

- Anything Montagna did technically "originated with NY", as Montagna was the Bonanno family acting boss. If Montagna went to Castellammare and told Mariano Asaro that he was standing behind Francesco Domingo, that would mean the Bonanno family was supporting Domingo in his dispute with Asaro. It might not mean the entire Bonanno family agreed, as there are all kinds of divided interests (or just plain disinterest) within any mafia family, but to our knowledge at the time of Montagna's deportation he represented the highest authority in the Bonanno family. There was no official boss and Sal Montagna was acting boss.

- We need more info on Montagna's rank upon deportation, though. Gasper Valenti testified at the Asaro trial that Sal Montagna was "one of the bosses" and "a boss from NYC" when Montagna was killed in 2011, but they didn't ask for clarification and we can't be sure if this meant Montagna had been a boss previously or if he was still considered part of the Bonanno hierarchy when he was killed. Historically, when an NYC mafia member was deported back to Italy or elsewhere, he lost his rank. However, Montagna was deported to a foreign city with a large, thriving Bonanno crew. While he was no longer in a position to run the day-to-day activities of the Bonanno family and we know others became acting boss in NYC, we can't be sure what role Montagna represented in Montreal.

- Montagna couldn't have done as much as he did if he hadn't been a high-ranking Bonanno member. If being a Bonanno boss meant nothing in Montreal, it's unlikely Montagna would have made any in-roads with the Montreal group(s). We know however that certain people were willing to support him, likely for a combination of reasons, but one would have been his status as a Bonanno leader.

- Desjardins' brother-in-law Joe DiMaulo would have readily understood that he was made into the Bonanno family, not the "Rizzuto Crime Syndicate." DiMaulo drove underboss Sal Vitale around Montreal a decade earlier and visited NYC in the 1970s for the Rastelli vote, plus other interactions we likely never heard of, so DiMaulo knew mafia protocol as a member of the Bonanno family.

- The Desjardins angle plays well with the above. Despite Fernandez's strange boast about him and Desjardins being made by Rizzuto, we have Desjardins recorded saying he doesn't have a "membership card" and mocking the journalist's idea that he could be part of the leadership as a non-Italian (again, echoes of the old D'Alfonso article in Philly). This tells us that in Montreal at that time, when Montagna was there, being an Italian made member was still the requirement for formal leadership. Montagna was the highest ranking Italian made member of the Bonanno family. Desjardins aligned himself with Montagna.

- This gets into the operational vs. organizational discussion, as Desjardins had extensive knowledge and influence over operations ("the Book", as Scoppa described it) while Montagna was a relative outsider to operations but had a position in the Bonanno family that would legitimize Desjardins' actions. Obviously Montagna was not looking to be an inactive figurehead with a title, so the relationship didn't work out to say the least. Montagna may have simply used Desjardins to gain knowledge / influence over "the Book", while Desjardins appears to have used Montagna because of his mafia status.

- What's important to take from the above is that Desjardins and others wouldn't have aligned themselves with Montagna if they felt he represented nothing in Montreal. There was a significant element in Montreal (mafia and non-mafia) who didn't care what Montagna represented, or felt he was overstepping his role, hence the war. What's important is that Montagna was able to do anything at all, and Occam's Razor tells us this was because of his rank within the organization that Montreal is part of.

- For all we know, one of the reasons Montagna was inducted so young was to serve as a formal liaison between Montreal and Sciascia/NYC, given Sciascia's former liaison Joe LoPresti was murdered and Sciascia couldn't enter Canada. Montagna was young, had a clean record, Canadian citizenship, and his father was a Sicilian man of honor who had lived in Montreal. Gerlando Sciascia sponsored Pietro Ligammari for membership in the early 1990s so that Ligammari could be a formal messenger to his father in prison. Montagna may have been inducted to serve as a messenger to Montreal and the extent of his knowledge and contacts is unknown to us. The Scoppa book's reference to Montagna's long-time relationship to the Arcuris in Montreal would go with this.

Couple points.....

• The Book wasnt explained as a street tax. When Giordano took control, he didnt get a list of bookies, that he then collected taxes from.

He had to BUY OUT, all the minority investors to take control of the Book. This is one of the main reasons they turned on Montagna, was that he wanted to appropriate the WHOLE Book.

Like, what Montagna did, WAS a tax. But their reaction was that this was an illegitimate action, it seems more like a Central bookmaking office.... it's not clear what qualifies ANY individual to be in control of the Book.

It's also not clear who controls the Platinum book now...

• Basciano wasnt Boss? Do we believe Cicale, or not?

From Cicale....

"Vinny had the power now" (he was named the Bonanno crime family official boss after news was released that Massino was cooperating with the federal government)

Why do you think Montagna had the power? He didnt answer to Basciano and Mancuso?

• Cicale said Basciano reactivated the drug pipeline on the sneak, should that be considered a Bonnano family initiative? Or did he just do this on his own, because the connect, Sciascia got killed and he wanted that cash flow back?

From Cicale....

According to Dominick, “Vinny, in fact, made several trips to Canada with the goal of reopening the drug pipeline into New York. Vinny was truly a slickster, going to a doctor in Canada for his hair transplants. Vinny had used that as a cover to meet with Vito so the two Bonanno family members could reestablish the lucrative drug connection. The drugs were now flowing in on a biweekly basis. Vinny and Anthony ‘Bruno’ Indelicato were getting massive quantities of high-grade marijuana, along with ecstasy pills. They were both rocking and rolling in the drug trade, all without Big Joe even hearing a word of what was going on.

[Jim505]

Thanks Cabrini.

[B.]

The Casamento that owned eagle cheese? Wasn't he out of NY?

Yeah, Filippo Casamento was a Sicilian man of honor who transferred to the Gambino family in NYC. Seems he transferred back to the Sicilian mafia after returning to Sicily. He was the Boccadifalco underboss and he's the godfather of Giovanni Inzerillo.

[B.]

Thanks for the clarification, re: "the Book".

- We have other sources in the Bonanno family during that time and the family was widely covered and scrutinized, but nothing has come out confirming Basciano was official. Did Cicale tell the FBI that or is it only in his pamphlet? The pamphlet has good info but you have to put it up against other info.

- For example, Dom Cicale says Basciano continued in drug deals with Rizzuto/Montreal after Sciascia's murder. Fellow Basciano faction captain Pisciotti flipped and told the FBI the same, that Basciano made marijuana/ecstasy deals with Montreal in 2000 and Pisciotti was a partner. Cicale also said that Montagna was close to Gerlando Sciascia, something nobody said publicly, and it turned out to be supported by other evidence. So Cicale isn't just making things up, but some of his info like Basciano being official boss doesn't match everything.

- It's possible the Basciano faction did consider him official. The Galante faction viewed Carmine Galante as official boss in the late 1970s and there is the Mancuso/Cammarano controversy a few years back. The Lucchese leadership was also refusing to recognize Mancuso as official boss. Maybe something similar briefly played out with Basciano.

--

Re: Montreal becoming less "traditional"

- Lamothe / Humphreys said in Montreal they refer to made members having "hot hands" in reference to the burning paper in your hands during mafia induction. Curious who the source of this info was but could just be a euphemism regardless of whether a formal ceremony is used.

- Carmine Galante likely inducted most of the original Montreal Bonanno members in the 1950s and he went on to perform verbal-only inductions in the 1970s, including Joe Massino's induction in a barroom with random citizens nearby. Massino went on to do verbal-only ceremonies, including a quick "ceremony" at a highway rest stop. The Ontario ceremony in the mid-2010s was the same non-traditional induction and a Buffalo member attended and apparently had no issue with an informal ceremony. If Scoppa is right that the Montreal group doesn't follow mafia traditions, it's not a trait unique to Montreal and it would be in line with their history in the Bonanno family.

- I'm still having trouble figuring out Scoppa's position. Regardless of ceremony or tradition, you'd think he'd mention who was made if he was in a position to know. Even if you think Montreal has been fully independent for 15-20 years, we are still talking about a group of diehard mafiosi inducted into Cosa Nostra whose membership gives them access to an international network. Made members in Montreal would not randomly decide mafia membership doesn't matter to them. Look at Hamilton, where we can see membership in the small Buffalo family is sill important to the Luppino-Violis, an 'ndrangheta-connected clan with their own influence in Ontario, and allowed them to network with Bonanno members from NYC. The same applies, maybe even more heavily, in Montreal.

- One reason Sal Montagna was able to get as far as he did in Montreal was likely his influence as a high-ranking member of the Bonanno family. The fact that a war erupted is proof that Montagna and/or the Bonanno's authority was not fully respected by the Rizzutos. However, we don't know the specifics of the dispute. Was Montreal still sending tribute to Montagna while he was acting boss, as they had under Basciano? Was Nick Rizzuto's issue with the Bonanno family itself, or was it mainly a response to Sal Montagna telling him to step aside? This is an important detail.

- We learned the Ribera family has a slot machine partnership in Canada with the Cattolicensi, so the Sicilian mafia is doing business with Montreal crew. Regardless of who they are affiliated with, Montreal members aren't going to tell the Riberesi, "Oh we don't really follow tradition anymore, so don't bring up any of that mafia stuff, let's just do slot business." Some of these guys might already know each other as "amico nostra" or someone else made the introduction. So if Scoppa was implying formal membership doesn't matter anymore, I suspect he wasn't in a role that required him to know about it.

- Would Scoppa know about Alfonso Gagliano? This is a Montreal Bonanno member who was a major Canadian politician until the mid-2000s and still living. I doubt Gagliano would be able to tell you much about "the Book", but he was a made member in an influential government position. I've mentioned before that DeCavalcante member Joe Gatto was friends with Gerlando Sciascia, but I learned Joe Gatto is also friends with Alfonso Gagliano. Another DeCavalcante soldier connected to Gagliano is Girolamo Guarraggi. Both Gatto and Guarraggi are from Ribera and Alfonso Gagliano from Siculiana. Just shows Montreal/Ribera have several different points of connection and probably more than we know. When Nick Gentile from Siculiana went to Quebec in the late 1910s he brought a man from Ribera with him, so we see these villages connect to the same places 100 years ago.

- Desjardins was recorded saying because he was French-Canadian he couldn't be one of the leaders like the Italians. This implies that mafia membership was at the time still essential to the Montreal power structure. Note that in a group like Montreal, and many mafia families, simply being a made member makes someone a leader unto themselves. We haven't seen evidence that Montreal uses ranks outside of capodecina and acting capodecina.

- The implication is that Desjardins understood the street operations of the Montreal group but knew he couldn't take formal control of the crew, so he aligned himself with Montagna. Montagna would have lacked knowledge of Montreal's street operations, but Desjardins's history with DiMaulo suggests he understood that Montagna was a top Bonanno figure who would "legitimize" Desjardins.

[CabriniGreen]

Was Nick Rizzuto's issue with the Bonanno family itself, or was it mainly a response to Sal Montagna telling him to step aside? This is an important detail.

This.... this right here.....


See Nick Rizzuto DIDNT have a problem with the Bonnano FAMILY. His issue was taking orders from Violi, someone he didnt view as in the same league as him. Violi was described as someone who robbed presents from weddings, and rapaciously extorted the community. Calderone wasnt impressed with him at all.

Fast forward, and here we have Miriarchi and Dejardins talking about Montagna telling a guy who runs a sandwich shop he cant sell cold cuts. They had respect for him as the Bonnano acting boss. It was when they saw his lack of criminal acumen, his empty boast about NY, that they began to lose respect for him.
It was kinda the same thing. I think they respected the Bonnano FAMILY. They didnt respect Montagna. These guys went along with him, when they felt it would put more money in their pocket, or give themselves more power.

Him going with both hands deep in their pockets just sealed his fate. He couldnt CREATE anything, all he could do was play the factions off against each other. Promise one side something more, while denying the other.

[CabriniGreen]

Was Nick Rizzuto's issue with the Bonanno family itself, or was it mainly a response to Sal Montagna telling him to step aside? This is an important detail.

This.... this right here.....


See Nick Rizzuto DIDNT have a problem with the Bonnano FAMILY. His issue was taking orders from Violi, someone he didnt view as in the same league as him. Violi was described as someone who robbed presents from weddings, and rapaciously extorted the community. Calderone wasnt impressed with him at all.

Fast forward, and here we have Miriarchi and Dejardins talking about Montagna telling a guy who runs a sandwich shop he cant sell cold cuts. They had respect for him as the Bonnano acting boss. It was when they saw his lack of criminal acumen, his empty boast about NY, that they began to lose respect for him.
It was kinda the same thing. I think they respected the Bonnano FAMILY. They didnt respect Montagna. These guys went along with him, when they felt it would put more money in their pocket, or give themselves more power.

Him going with both hands deep in their pockets just sealed his fate. He couldnt CREATE anything, all he could do was play the factions off against each other. Promise one side something more, while denying the other.

From Chapter 3: Respect.....

Nicolo was the quiet type. Far from being as charismatic as his son. Vito, when he got somewhere, everyone saw only him. They all wanted to greet him, talk to him. He was so sociable, easy to approach.

His father was a respectable man too, but he was a man of few words, who came from another era. Old fashion ... Old Nick always said respect and care for the poorest in society. Because poor people value what they have more than we do. I know he helped many without asking for anything in return. It earned him the unwavering respect of less fortunate people in the community. They felt they owed him that. Proof, look at everyone who was at his funeral!

He knew that by not asking these people for anything, that they would always respect him. It's more important than knowing that they owe you something.

“While the Violi, it was the opposite. A lot of people hated them. They were there because of Vic Cotroni, and they weren't even listening to him. Vic's problem was that he was in bad company. His brother Frank? It was a disaster. But he was a good guy, Vic.

So what happened was that everyone who gravitated around the Violi and the Cotroni rallied behind the Rizzutos. They saw that Vito had better listening skills than Violi. And that he wasn't a bastard like Violi.

The Violi were robbing houses while the people had gone to mass or to a wedding! When you do business the same and treat the world with no respect, do you think you are going to gain the respect of the community? No. Besides, it eased the transition for Vito when he took power.

“Vito was a bit like a leader of a political party. He had his supporters, his followers. He was a unifier. He had leadership skills. Besides, he liked politics. People respected him but a bit like some politicians: they would go to see him hoping that he was going to be able to do something for them, help them make money, put them in touch with someone so that they could take advantage of it. 'A profitable business opportunity… It was always about the money in the end.


From Chapter 9: Rancor

Mirarchi adds on September 15: - These guys are a real joke. They went to a bakery that has just opened and said they are not allowed to sell cold cuts, just bread. Why? Because they are the new guys in town and "this is how it's going to work". - Gang of hostesses of idiots, answers "The Old Man".....


This was Savianos take on this type of extortion.....

“Only beggar clans inept at business and desperate to survive still practice the kind of monthly extortions seen in Nanni Loy’s film Mi manda Picone, or the door-to-door rounds at Christmas, Easter, and on August 15.

Everything has changed. The Nuvoletta clan of Marano, on the northern outskirts of Naples, set up a more efficient extortion racket based on reciprocal advantage and the taxing of supplies. Giuseppe Gala, known as Showman, had become one of the most valued reps in the food business. He was much in demand, representing Bauli and Von Holten, and through Vip Alimentari he became the.......

“The companies Peppe Gala handled were, in fact, guaranteed representation throughout his territory as well as a high number of orders.

And retailers and supermarkets were more than happy to deal with him since he could pressure suppliers into offering bigger discounts. Being a System man, Showman also controlled transportation, which meant he could ensure favorable prices and prompt delivery.

Products “adopted” by the clans are not imposed through intimidation but rather by means of advantageous pricing. The concerns Gala represented declared they had been victims of the Camorra racket and had had to submit to the diktat of the clans. Yet data from Confcommercio—the Italian business confederation—reveals that from 1998 to 2003 the companies that turned to Gala experienced a 40 to 80 percent increase in annual sales. Gala’s financial strategies even resolved the clans’ problems of ready cash.........

To me, in the 2010s, THATS what mafia extortion should look like. Not Patsy trying to shake down Starbucks...or squeezing money from a local bakery.....



If Montagna had say, started a meat supply company, and then had all the delis buy his meat at a good price...? I dunno...... I just dont think he was really a big earner..... I just see a bully.....

[scagghiuni]

This was Savianos take on this type of extortion.....

“Only beggar clans inept at business and desperate to survive still practice the kind of monthly extortions seen in Nanni Loy’s film Mi manda Picone, or the door-to-door rounds at Christmas, Easter, and on August 15.

Everything has changed. The Nuvoletta clan of Marano, on the northern outskirts of Naples, set up a more efficient extortion racket based on reciprocal advantage and the taxing of supplies. Giuseppe Gala, known as Showman, had become one of the most valued reps in the food business. He was much in demand, representing Bauli and Von Holten, and through Vip Alimentari he became the.......

don't take sesiously all what saviano said anyway, i respect him and he's quite informed, bit not so much as somebosdy could expect
the typical monthly extortion racket allows you a much stronger control of the territory although the supply of materials is important too

[CabriniGreen]

Chapter 10: Sauce


A few thoughts, thinking aloud....

• Andrew Scoppa hid several of Vitos relatives, to keep them from being targeted for murder. He hid them, and paid the cost out of his own pocket.

• As Scoppa was on parole restrictions, he couldn't get directly involved in the intrigues plaguing the Rizzuto clan. Although it makes one wonder..... where exactly DID he stand with Montagna, Dejardins, DiMaulo, Miriarchi, the Arcuris, DeVito? He seems to have hated pretty much everyone in the Montreal mafia....

Did he have PRIOR knowledge of the attacks on the Rizzuto clan, or was he told after the fact? He seems to
either have confidences inside the rival factions, or he had to be privy to some of these attacks. Like, WHO told Scoppa, WHO Nick Rizzutos killer was? Was he playing both sides at this time?

He says DeVito did " 5 or 6 murders HIMSELF, at least..". Did he do Nick? Renda? Did DeVito tell Scoppa this himself?

Did the Scoppas have contact with Montagna during his assault on the Rizzutos? Probably not, right? Seeing as he was helping to hide them. So I'm guessing his info came from other guys in the conspiracy. But it MUST have been after the fact, as he didnt warn them before hand.

Scoppa seems to imply that these murders on the surface seem like a systematic program of assassinations, like they were all coordinated together, but that it wasnt actually, exactly correct. It makes me wonder if Renda and Nick had different killers, by different clans.

Did Montagna believe the Scoppas would come to his side eventually? Were they courted by him?


In a nutshell, I'm asking... for someone supposedly on the Rizzutos side, he has a lot of info on the OTHER SIDE. Where did this info come from, and WHEN did he become privy to all this info? Before, during, or after the attacks? Was he playing both sides?


From Chapter 10: Sauce....

Andrew always seems to have two personalities. At each of our meetings in Montreal, I found him extremely worried, from the very first weeks. Anxious, bitter and at the same time, inflexible. When he did, he often started by telling me about himself.

He was engaging in a kind of personal introspection, saying something like, "Look at the mess I’m in" or "My life is not easy." He railed against Stefano Sollecito and the new generation of incumbent Mafiosi who, he said, had screwed up his life. And who had also screwed up his family's life.

Each time, I listened to him ranting about his fate, but also rehashing the disgust he felt in Stefano Sollecito, Leonardo Rizzuto, Nick Spagnolo.

To understand where his bitterness comes from, we have to go back to when Vito was incarcerated in the United States.

As things were starting to go wrong here, Andrew allegedly hid Vito's son Leonardo, Stefano Sollecito, his brother Mario, Nick Spagnolo and several others from their gang.

It was Andrew who was responsible for hiding them outside the country, in Florida and other Canadian provinces. He hid them in houses he rented himself at his own expense. Vito had ordered him to do this so that the clan would not be wiped out.

Then, on Vito's return, "Sauce" would have maneuvered to to rob him of this position. The bitterness also stems from the fact that Stefano and the others owe him money, because Andrew paid out of pocket to hide them.


When Vito Rizzuto returns to Canada, the police receive, from sources in the criminal community - "informers", as the French commonly call them - confidences at the very least intriguing concerning the rise of a "certain person".

[b]This informant ended up being partially incorrect.....[/b][/b]


”Within the Montreal mafia. The following information, taken from court documents from a major drug investigation project led by the Joint Regional Organized Crime Squad in Montreal and Laval, comes from informants who feed the police at their peril: in the middle there is no forgiveness for what is seen as betrayal....

September 5, 2012
Andrew Scoppa is awaiting the return of the godfather Vito Rizzuto next October to clean up. The bikers and the Italians will unite against the [street gangs] in order to take back their former territories. They are going to crush the street gangs.


October 13, 2012
With the return of Vito Rizzuto, the latter will try to recover his former drug territories. Andrew Scoppa will become Rizzuto's right-hand man. Steve Ovadia will take Scoppa's current place


November 5, 2012
Andrew Scoppa and Vito Rizzuto were together last week. Andrew said Vito believes the order to kill his son [Nick Jr.] came directly from Joe Di Maulo

January 18, 2013
In February and March 2013, things will be dangerous with the Mafia in Montreal. Andrew Scoppa's organization is preparing big changes

From Chapter 10.....

Upon his return to Quebec, Vito Rizzuto surrounded himself with several young wolves eager to train his new guard and determined to prove that the Rizzuto clan was far from dead and buried.

Stefano Sollecito, Nicola Spagnolo, Liborio Cuntrera, Marco Pizzi and Vito Salvaggio, among others, represent this new generation of Mafiosi from the Rizzuto clan. Older people like Tonino Callocchia and the usurious lender Roger Valiquette are also playing an increased role.

This is done in the shadows, without their names being publicly displayed. At least, not for a few years.

Ultimately, it was they, not Andrew Scoppa, who orchestrated most of the "big changes" that rocked the Mafia during this period that underworld law enforcement sources had told law enforcement about. And contrary to what these sources predicted, Scoppa never became the right hand of Godfather Rizzuto.

"Steve Sauce is a smart kid," Andrew tells us through gritted teeth, barely concealing his contempt and hatred for the man he sees as his number one rival, Stefano Sollecito. She's a viper. But he's brilliant. He thinks several shots ahead as if he were playing chess. You can't take that away from him. You still have to give it what it deserves. He is brilliant but devious as a damn!

For example, when Paolo Renda was kidnapped in 2010, Steve Sauce would say: “Ah The Rizzuto family get what they deserve! " But as soon as Vito returned home after being released from prison, he ran to him like he was his little pocket dog!

“Vito returned to Canada on October 5, 2012. The guys who picked him up from the Toronto airport were Poncho [Liborio Cuntrera], Vito Salvaggio, Leo [Rizzuto], Steve Sauce and maybe also [his brother] Mario Sauce. Vito stayed in Toronto because he had family there. And he had people to meet there. He spent a week there.

It was important for him to know if the Calabrians in Toronto were involved in everything that happened to Montreal during his absence, including the deaths of his oldest son and his father.

He met some of the top Mafia leaders. And they assured him no, the Toronto Calabrians had nothing to do with it. They weren't involved. And they offered to help him if he ever needed it. Vito therefore had their support. He called them to talk to them just before what happened to Joe Di Maulo.

"Put yourself in his shoes: he returns and finds that many of his old friends have become his enemies. Vito first wanted to know who his enemies were, who had remained his ally, and who he could count on. His first stop was in Toronto to make sure the Calabrians weren't involved.

Because otherwise, the crisis would have been much more complicated to manage. Much more.


////////////////__Questions Here///////////////////

1. Who was Montagna meeting in Ontario?

2. What family in Ontario backs Miriarchi?

3. If no involvement, why was that the FIRST stop Vito made?

///////////_____Chapter 10 Continued...../////////////


“Then they hid him in a secret place, in the countryside, in the Laurentians. It was not far from a golf course, but he couldn't play because it was no longer the season. Vito loved golf.

He stayed there, surrounded by two or three bodyguards at all times. They never left him alone. “Vito knew he had become a target for his enemies. There was no chance to take.

His eldest son, his brother-in-law and his father were murdered in his absence. So he knew his enemies had enough balls to try to eliminate him too. And he knew it wasn't from one person or one clan.

He ended up knowing it quite quickly by questioning some people. Like Di Maulo. Tony Mucci, the weather vane… Tony Vanelli. And Tony Volpato, the cardboard mafia champion! Because it had been said in the middle that Volpato had paraded with Magi and Ducarme Joseph when Vito was gone. He must have soiled his pants when Vito came back… “Vito stayed up north for a few months. When he had visitors, his guys would pick them up from a certain location and escort them back, making sure that the visitor wouldn't know where the hideout was exactly.

I believe Vito came home for Christmas. After that, in March, his house on Antoine-Berthelet Avenue was sold and he moved to Laval, on Saint-Patrick Street, behind a golf club [Islemere]. He moved so that he could turn the page and move on. He didn't want to stay there anymore, with ghosts, or live in the past. The house on Antoine-Berthelet brought back too many difficult memories. Nick Jr. grew up there. His brother-in-law Paolo Renda lived in the house next door.


Vito had a nice house with beautiful hardwood floors, the large Italian-style two-door refrigerator with dark wood veneer, full of grappa bottles. He liked grappa. He liked alcohol, wine.

Strangely, his favorite wine was not an Italian wine but a Californian red, the Insignia.

“Then he had meetings with some bikers, again to make sure the Hells had nothing to do with the attacks on his family and that they weren't getting involved in it either. He also wanted to make sure their old covenant still stood.

“This is where Steve Sauce played his cards well. He teamed up with Gregory Woolley to get the bikers on board. Vito agreed, he knew him and liked him. Woolley had been detained at the Regional Reception Center in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines at the same time as him in 2005. I think they spent four or five months together.

They got to know each other and Woolley liked Vito. Sauce needed a pro like Woolley to help him out because the Hells were still in jail at the time, due to Operation SharQc. Woolley realized he worked more with the Italians than with the bikers. Since the Italians gave him a lot of money, Woolley had better stay with them. Steve Sauce bowed down to him.

Funny, when all the Hells got jailed after Operation SharQc, Steve was the first to denigrate the bikers. He would say, “We're better than them.” But now that the bikers are out? He licks their ass.

“The other brilliant thing that Steve Sauce did […] was put his brother Mario as Vito’s regular driver for the first six or eight months after he returned to Montreal. […] Mario was always with Vito, he knew who Vito was talking to, who Vito was going to meet and he could listen to what Vito was saying on the phone. Then he would tell Steve everything, who knew everything, even if he wasn't with Vito.

Sometimes Steve would know that Vito was going to a meeting and he would show up there if he thought it would be good for him. It allowed him to control Vito's agenda, pick up Vito's contacts, and try to gain the trust of Vito's relatives by putting them on his side. He was planning everything. “And then Steve and his gang told Vito they were going to 'clean up' for him.


“First it was Joe Di Maulo on November 4, 2012. It was 'Tony Coloc' [Tonino Callocchia] who killed him. “Roommate” himself had asked Vito to give him permission to do this. “Roommate” took off after that.

“Then they tried to blow up Ducarme Joseph by installing a bomb in his vehicle, but the bomb did not explode. The idiot who set it up made a mistake with the detonator. Instead of exploding, it just heated up and made smoke. So Ducarme and the guys who were with him ran out of the vehicle. It would have killed three or four all at once. Ducarme was lucky this time. It was less so two years later.

“Then 'Ponytail' De Vito was eliminated at Donnacona Penitentiary. What i know about this side? Well… It's tricky… He's been associated with me at one point, you know… He got to a point in his life where he didn't give a damn about everyone. He had nothing more to lose. He got it into his head to bring down [Rizzuto's] family.

He was angry with them for the deaths of his two children, who were killed by their mother while he was on the run [during Operation] Coliseum.

He was angry with them for wanting to tax him, for screwing up his coke import business at Trudeau airport where he had a contact who worked there.

He was angry with the Rizzuto clan for summoning him to meetings where he was recorded without his knowledge by the RCMP.

He held them responsible for the run to which he was forced. “Her heart has turned black. He has lost his mind. He allied himself with Raynald and Vic Mirarchi. He had balls. He did the “jobs” [murders] himself. He was the main actor in a slew of murders until his capture.


“The 'Ponytail' murder, you have to admit, was a brilliantly orchestrated masterstroke. Was this authorized by Vito? Yes of course. "Ponytail" was given a sleeping pill without knowing it was cyanide ... Surely it was the cleanest murder contract executed in the history of organized crime in Canada. One of the most successful in Quebec anyway.


"Moreno Gallo? […] Steve never took in when Moreno told them, him and his father, to crown their Montreal camp in the fall of 2011.

In 2010, Steve Sauce was a business partner of Moreno and his sons. He wasn't really influential yet. was spending the money of his father Rocco, who was serving his term of Operation Colosseum.

But soon after his father's parole in 2011, Moreno called Sauce to a rally: he told her that he and his father had a week to get out of town.

“In fact, the message came from Raynald Desjardins and [Salvatore] Montagna. The message had to be conveyed by Moreno because he was associated with the Sauces. […] They had to leave because they were too close to the Rizzutos.

As Vito was about to be released from prison the following year, Desjardins and Montagna sought to strip him of his base and close guard before his return.

Steve Sauce never accepted that Moreno had served him with this ultimatum which he believed to come from Montagna, which Moreno had joined. At that time, hardly anyone knew that Raynald was in cahoots with Montagna.

Because he was on life parole for a murder plot, Moreno was not in a position to stand up for the Sollecito and go against Montagna's will. Moreno was a pretty perceptive guy and he most likely suspected that Raynald was behind it all.

“Vito could have come to an understanding with Moreno and be reconciled if he had been given the chance to talk to him. Vito was more interested in trying to make peace with someone than to have them eliminated. And he was friends with Moreno, a smart man. Moreno always tried to get along and he had a knack for convincing you with his arguments.

He was a good talking guy. Vito could have gone to meet him in Mexico or Cuba, no matter where he was. But Sauce didn't want to: he never forgiven Moreno for giving him this warning [even though] he was only the messenger. In the end, the Sollecito never left here. But Sauce took it personal. So he took revenge.


“Sauce got him killed while going through one of his drug contacts who himself had connections in Mexico who could find killers to take care of the contract. He also asked Tony Vanelli to [tell them where Moreno was] […], as the two were friends and doing business together in Mexico.

Vanelli and Moreno went to the same restaurants and frequented the same places in Acapulco. They had houses there too. So Vanelli knew where Moreno could be. So he told them. Vanelli was very lucky. He was supposed to be posing as well. But he sold Moreno and in exchange for this information he was saved his life at the time.

"It was around this time that Roger Valiquette took the Book from Lorenzo Giordano. But it was a strategic move from Steve Sauce. Basically, Steve teamed up with Valiquette and convinced him to take the Book, helped by “Roommate”.

He shut his mouth, he put Rog on his side for a long time, he did what the other told him. Plus, he was able to borrow money from her. So Steve stuck on him. But it was just Steve's ruse. It was part of his plan. He played the game wonderfully: make him feel like you are helping him achieve his goal, when deep down, you want to achieve that goal. Steve also knew Rog was no match. He waited for the right moment.

So at that point you had Steve but also Valiquette and Tony Coloc who “called the shots”.

And each of them wanted to get rid of certain guys for different reasons. And they were moving forward, even though Vito didn't always agree with them. As with the murders of Gaétan Gosselin [a close friend of Desjardins], on January 22, 2013, and Vincenzo Scuderi [associated with Joe De Vito and Alessandro Succapane] on January 31, 2013.

“Moreover, that day, I ' had tried to restore peace between the clans of Steve Sauce and that of “Ponytail” De Vito and Alessandro Succapane. I called Steve at 2 p.m. to tell him to stop everything.

He still went ahead with the murder of Scuderi, who got shot at 6 p.m. He told me he couldn't get the contract canceled!

He had four hours to call his guys and cancel everything… "So I went over to Vito and I asked him, 'What's going on? What is this shit? " He told me it was Steve Sauce. I said, “Yes, Steve Sauce’s Host did that, but it's your name, Vito, that gets in the papers. The responsibility for this settling of accounts is your name, not Steve. "

I stubbornly stuck with him and wasn't tender. I asked Vito: “Who is Raynald Desjardins?” He replied, “He was once 'my boy', an ally I could trust. But of course, with what happened, it's over. " "Ha! So he's the one you need to aim for. Did you save his life? ” Vito replied: “Several times. Several times." "And is that how that fucking guy rewards you, thanking you?

So that's him you need to target, him and a few others. That's all. You can't start giving your blessing to the murders of all the little subordinates of others clans, they're just employees, hug! What the fuck!?! You can't do that! ”

He said to me, "It's not me, it's Steve." “Yeah, Steve wants to spend them so they can resume their loan sharking business with Roger Valiquette. But it's up to you, Vito, to take control over them and make a master! "

“Rog and Sauce knew what I told Vito about them. And they started to hate me because of it. Do you know why Vito wasn’t able to control them? Because they were like, “We'll take care of the housework for you! We do this for you! ” Steve would tell him, “Vito, there are just the rest of us you can count on. Me, Roger and Roommate. We take care of everything for you. "

While basically, they were doing all of this for their own benefit! Vito couldn't see himself bringing Steve back to order. He said to me, "If I refuse to give them my permission [for murders], they will do the same." I was like, “Vito, you're losing control over them completely…”

“Steve got a hold of me. First of all, we are very different. I learned when I was young that the loudest talking guy in the room is the weakest guy in the room. You'll never see me flash like Steve driving luxury cars like Lamborghinis or Ferraris.

It all started to backfire on me because I didn't agree with what Steve was doing: eliminating lesser guys at the bottom of the hierarchy, just because he wanted to next '' take ownership of their business “.


Then Rog ended up asking Sauce to pay him what he owed him. He owed a half a million dollars in debt to Valiquette. Same thing for Roommate. Besides, Rog started hanging out with [Alessandro] Succapane, who was close to Joe De Vito… that's when Sauce went to see Vito Rizzuto and said to him: “Valiquette is not good, not reliable, we can't trust him anymore… ”So he got rid of him so that he could get his hands on the Book. He kept the agents who had dealt with the Book for Lorenzo and which Valiquette had taken over.


Valiquette is a thief who has thrown a lot of people. He and Sauce tried to get rid of me. They did not succeed. Can you believe that the day Rog was killed, Steve Sauce had the nerve to call me and ask me if I wanted to get on board to finance the contract he had put on his head? "

• Extract from a judicial document containing information provided by a police source identified by the single letter "N" to investigators specializing in the fight against organized crime in Montreal and Laval, June 27, 2013:

Very recently, Scoppa announced that 'he was leaving Canada to rest for a year with his family. Steve Ovadia will take Scoppa's place. It was Vito [Rizzuto] himself who authorized the replacement of Scoppa by Ovadia...

[Etna]

After reading this, it's not difficult to see why Scoppa did not like Sollecito - IF it's true.

[CabriniGreen]

After reading this, it's not difficult to see why Scoppa did not like Sollecito - IF it's true.

I actually was a little surprised..... he paints Sollecito as a cunning, Machiavellian type. And a little bloosthirsty too. And petty..

[Clark]

Really interesting stuff. Thanks again! It seems like Tonino Callocchia was also really involved during this period. His name was thrown around a lot, but I didnt know how tied he was to the more obvious names in the Rizzuto camp.

[Lupara]

Do I know who shot? Yes. Besides, this guy is still alive.

Then the question arises why they didn't ask him who this person is? He was breaking Omerta anyway so why be an asshole and give a vague revelation just to boast about it? Ofcourse, it's quite possible he did provide a name but for legal (and safety) reasons they can not mention it in the book.

[Lupara]

.He got 6 years in 2004, so I believe he was the one that didn't want to get involved because of parole. I could be reading this wrong. But I was under the impression that he turned on the Rizzutos somewhere inbetween Vito dying and Giordano being released.

Maybe I should of added one part I left out.

"Much to his disappointment, by the way ... "And while saying this, Scoppa points his index finger to his chest so that we understand that this" certain person "was him, even if he does not want to identify himself clearly. on our recording.

How can Andrea Scoppa know so many details surrounding the murder of Vito Rizzuto's father? How can he have such precise information, which the police have never revealed so as not to compromise his chances of apprehending the shooter?

What she still hasn't managed to do? When we ask him the question, Scoppa perhaps realizes that he has had enough - or too much - said and only answers us with a look ... A "death look", which he could throw at you like Robert De Niro in The Godfather 2 or Goodfellas (Goodfellas). Except that Scoppa wasn't playing in a movie. It was better to change the subject and not insist"

From the parts before it still seemed like Scoppa was admitting it was him he even said "It might sound like Kenny and the other guy are working together, but not at all. Except for the murder of Nicky, which Kenny killed for Magi, the rest looks like a pattern. It's from the same person, right?If you had to guess who is behind it all, don't you think it comes from the same place? Appearances are deceptive. I always say, “Don't believe anything you hear and only believe half of what you see.” this is like he's saying everyone thought it was Montagna and Desjardins. But it wasnt. It's like he's saying he took his shot at the "Old Guard" because no one would be looking his way.

You're right about its weird how he explains things. That might just be the translation from French to English. I've seen a few parts where it says "her/she" instead of "Him/He".

I think it's out of the question that Scoppa was involved in any of these murders given the fact that he was allowed to be in Vito's inner circle after he was released from prison in 2012.

[Lupara]

i'm sure that montagna ordered the murder of nick jr, even if ducarme was the shooter, scoppa is probably not even made

Montagna must've given the go-ahead and Desjardins' guys may have caried it out, since they were working together.