Montreal FBI report December 1984

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B.
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Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by B. »

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- Seems the first redacted name described as a capodecina in the Bonanno family who controls the "first group" (a "traditional LCN organization") in Montreal would likely be Gerlando/George Sciascia, who we know from other accounts was the captain by this time. It does not refer to Cotroni, as that name shows up unredacted below.

- Curious who the Genovese associate is, identified as a "major contact in the US" for the Bonanno Montreal decina. Same with the Brooklyn Gambino associate and Detroit associate.

- Interesting the Bonanno Montreal crew is said to have ties to Detroit, Buffalo, and the Patriarca family.

- The "second group" appears to be a branch of the Sicilian mafia and is likely a reference to the Caruana-Cuntrera faction. The redacted name from Montreal said to be the liasion between this group and the Cotroni group, plus Sicilian figures in the US, could be Nick Rizzuto, as he best fits that description and role.

- The US Bonanno soldier said to represent the US-based Sicilians could be Baldassare Amato. He was perhaps the most significant Sicilian Bonanno "soldier" at the time and is known to have had a close relationship with Montreal.

- What's interesting is the "second group" of Sicilian mafiosi is said to be close with the Patriarca family as well. At this time, Biaigio DiGiacomo from Aragona (Agrigento province) was a rising power in New England and drug trafficker Salvatore Caruana was also an associate of the Patriarcas. DiGiacomo's relatives were members of the Sicilian mafia in Agrigento, so him and the appropriately named Caruana seem like potential explanations for this connection between the Patriarcas and both the Montreal Bonanno crew and Montreal Sicilian mafia faction.

- The last paragraph is open for interpretation. Is the "Cotroni group" the same as the "first group" (decina) described as being under a Bonanno capodecina, or does it refer to the non-Sicilian Cotroni sub-faction within the Bonanno Montreal crew? "Non-LCN crime groups" could refer to non-Italian organized crime or other Italian groups like the 'ndrangheta. We know the Sicilian sub-faction of the Bonanno Montreal crew had not broken off, but it could indicate they were now operating more independently under Sciascia. Or it could be saying the Sicilian mafia "second group" (presumably Caruana-Cuntera) had once been under closer supervision by the Bonanno crew and were now operating more autonomously now that their allies were in charge of the Bonanno decina. We know when Violi was acting capodecina he was quite strict about what the Sicilian men of honor could do in Montreal, so these restrictions may have been lifted somewhat following his death.

Interesting possibilities either way. They don't mention the DeCavalcantes, another family known to associate with Montreal, but the families mentioned are even more intriguing given we have heard little to nothing about them associating with Montreal.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by Moscone65 »

Great post B, these alleged patriarca and Detroit connections are very interesting.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by Snakes »

I assume the Patriarca, Detroit, and Buffalo connections are concerning narcotics trafficking as all those families are on, or very close, to the border of Canada.

The "non-LCN crime groups" description *probably* refers to non-Italians like biker gangs or other organizations. The FBI had specific terminology and recognized individuals operating in the U.S. who belonged to Camorra and 'Ndrangheta cells so I believe they would have been labeled as such if that was the case. B, I'm not sure if you remember our discussion about the FBI's classification system for Italian-American criminal orgs in the U.S., but my statement is tied to that.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by OcSleeper »

During this time wasn't Windsor-Detroit a main border crossing for drugs flowing south. With the port of Montreal being the main port of entry I don't think it's that mysterious there was a connection with Detroit.

Did Detroit have their Windsor crew at this time?
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by motorfab »

The Gambino associate (who was in fact a made man) could be Guido Penosi, he was highly involved in narcotics with Frank Cotroni & Frank Dasti, but I could be wrong
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

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motorfab wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:11 am The Gambino associate (who was in fact a made man) could be Guido Penosi, he was highly involved in narcotics with Frank Cotroni & Frank Dasti, but I could be wrong
You are probably right, motorfab.

But at time, and a bit before, there was also another guy from the Cotroni groupe, whose name was Guido Orsini, who was heavily into heroin with New York mobs.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by motorfab »

Laurentian wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:19 am
motorfab wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:11 am The Gambino associate (who was in fact a made man) could be Guido Penosi, he was highly involved in narcotics with Frank Cotroni & Frank Dasti, but I could be wrong
You are probably right, motorfab.

But at time, and a bit before, there was also another guy from the Cotroni groupe, whose name was Guido Orsini, who was heavily into heroin with New York mobs.
I was just thinking of him and Santo Mendolia who were under Le Gros & Dasti and they were involved with Penosi, Oddo & Visceglia in the 70s. They are entitled to a whole chapter in Charbonneau's book The Canadian Connection/La Filière Canadienne

Speaking of Orsini & Mendolia, I've been wondering for a while without having the answer and I think you will be able to help me, where were they from in Italy? And what happens to them after their conviction in the 70's?
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by Laurentian »

motorfab wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:35 am
Laurentian wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:19 am
motorfab wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:11 am The Gambino associate (who was in fact a made man) could be Guido Penosi, he was highly involved in narcotics with Frank Cotroni & Frank Dasti, but I could be wrong
You are probably right, motorfab.

But at time, and a bit before, there was also another guy from the Cotroni groupe, whose name was Guido Orsini, who was heavily into heroin with New York mobs.
I was just thinking of him and Santo Mendolia who were under Le Gros & Dasti and they were involved with Penosi, Oddo & Visceglia in the 70s. They are entitled to a whole chapter in Charbonneau's book The Canadian Connection/La Filière Canadienne

Speaking of Orsini & Mendolia, I've been wondering for a while without having the answer and I think you will be able to help me, where were they from in Italy? And what happens to them after their conviction in the 70's?
About Mendolia, I do not know. As for Orsino, all I know is that he died in november 1982.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by Adam »

OcSleeper wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:00 am During this time wasn't Windsor-Detroit a main border crossing for drugs flowing south. With the port of Montreal being the main port of entry I don't think it's that mysterious there was a connection with Detroit.

Did Detroit have their Windsor crew at this time?
In 1984 I'm trying to think who would have been the Detroit guy handling that in Windsor. I've never really bought into a "Windsor Crew" for Detroit. Pre 9/11 if you wanted to go to Windsor from Detroit you took the tunnel or Ambassador Bridge(I grew up in the Detroit area and going to Windsor for dinner was a normal uneventful occurrence.) No ID nothing. Take kids across and they'd just ask you if they were your kids and you said yes and they'd wave you through. No border control at all. In the 80s I don't think there was a single made Detroit member living in Canada. I think of Windsor like Toledo. After Anthony Besase died there wasn't a Detroit made guy located there. But they had a bunch of interests down there. They'd drive down all the time and do their business and drive back. I think of Windsor the same. Probably some local bookies or whatever in Windsor, but not like a crew. Just how I picture it. I could be way off.

But as to who the Detroit guy could be....good question. He's not described as a member. Just associated with Detroit LCN Family. You could guess someone like Anthony Palazzolo, who wouldn't be a member at that point, but would claim later in the early 90s to be in charge of Windsor on tape. But he's not a well know narcotics trafficker. So I'm thinking no. If the person they're talking about was actually a made guy and they just said he was associated with Detroit LCN for some reason, they might be referencing Rafaelle Quasarano, who would have been out by then and was known as a big time narcotics trafficker. A possibility. There were some Pizza Connection guys in Michigan at the time too. And they had to have been working with Detroit LCN. Could have just been referencing one of them.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by B. »

Good post, Adam.

According to Fratianno, the LA family was going to introduce Dominick Longo to members in "Montreal" via Detroit member Anthony Randazzo. I suspect Fratianno confused Montreal and Ontario, but it stil means Randazzo was a Detroit member who had formal contact with made members in Canada in the years before this FBI report was published.

It's not clear from this obviously vague and redacted report whether they use "associate" to explicitly refer to the rank of associate, or if it refers to general affiliation. They could be referring to made members of these groups and are simply saying they are "associated" with the family being referred to. Open for interpretation but impossible to know for sure without names.

I'm not "shocked" Montreal did business with these other families, especially on the border, but you don't typically see references to it which is why I thought this document was significant.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

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B. wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:22 pm Good post, Adam.

According to Fratianno, the LA family was going to introduce Dominick Longo to members in "Montreal" via Detroit member Anthony Randazzo. I suspect Fratianno confused Montreal and Ontario, but it stil means Randazzo was a Detroit member who had formal contact with made members in Canada in the years before this FBI report was published.

It's not clear from this obviously vague and redacted report whether they use "associate" to explicitly refer to the rank of associate, or if it refers to general affiliation. They could be referring to made members of these groups and are simply saying they are "associated" with the family being referred to. Open for interpretation but impossible to know for sure without names.

I'm not "shocked" Montreal did business with these other families, especially on the border, but you don't typically see references to it which is why I thought this document was significant.
Yeah not shocked by it at all. And good find. Yeah, parsing language in FBI reports is tricky. Associate vs. associated with(which can mean made guy). It's tough. And I'll be honest, I've never been positive that the reference to Tony Randazzo in Last Mafioso was definitely referring to the Anthony Randazzo of the Detroit family. The book doesn't mention Detroit in relation to Randazzo. Just a random reference to a Tony Randazzo(who is never mentioned in that book again) that the LA Family wants to have Dominic Longo introduced to as a made guy. It makes sense, but with Fratianno getting lots of people confused, I was never certain. Keep in mind he did clearly recount a Dominic Corrado as the Detroit captain who ran Toledo in the fifties. I'm sure he was thinking Pete Corrado. Little weird things like that. Also didn't think Fratianno would even know who Randazzo was. Who was an obscure Detroit guy. Not much about him. So I always shrugged off that reference. And he mentions how somehow Longo killed a guy with John Peanuts Tronolone from Cleveland? A murder that has never come up ever again? And yet he's talking about how Montreal wouldn't make Longo? Just weird things that don't necessarily make sense. Kinda took it as Fratianno throwing any random thing he thought he remembered about Longo into the book. But who knows.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by antimafia »

Gaetano Badalamenti had relatives in Canada. His cousin Cesare Badalamenti moved to Detroit in the mid-1960s. Cesare had tight links with heroin trafficker Giuseppe Indelicato of Windsor, who was born in Siculiana. Indelicato had ties to Nick Rizzuto Sr. (see The Sixth Family... and elsewhere). Not that Cesare was a major narcotics trafficker, but was he still alive at the time of the December 7, 1984 report? I've never been able to find a DOD for him. Scott Burnstein could probably fill in some of the gaps in the report.

Lee Lamothe and Antonio Nicaso wrote in their Bloodlines... book, in a sidebar on p. 30, that Frank Cotroni Sr. "regularly met with Joseph Todaro Sr., who would become the head of the Buffalo organization, and Phillip Rastelli, who would later head the Bonanno family in New York City."
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by B. »

Adam -- good points about Randazzo and Longo. Whoever he was referring to, it was a made member which is why I assumed it was the Detroit member, especially given the LA leadership's roots and close ties to Detroit at that time. It's not cut and dry, that's for sure, but then this report indicating Detroit's ties to Canada lends itself to the possibility of them being available to facilitate connections between Canada and other groups.

The Longo / Tronolone connection could come from both of them sharing roots with the Buffalo family. Hard to say without more details about the murder.
antimafia wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:24 pm Gaetano Badalamenti had relatives in Canada. His cousin Cesare Badalamenti moved to Detroit in the mid-1960s. Cesare had tight links with heroin trafficker Giuseppe Indelicato of Windsor, who was born in Siculiana. Indelicato had ties to Nick Rizzuto Sr. (see The Sixth Family... and elsewhere). Not that Cesare was a major narcotics trafficker, but was he still alive at the time of the December 7, 1984 report? I've never been able to find a DOD for him. Scott Burnstein could probably fill in some of the gaps in the report.

Lee Lamothe and Antonio Nicaso wrote in their Bloodlines... book, in a sidebar on p. 30, that Frank Cotroni Sr. "regularly met with Joseph Todaro Sr., who would become the head of the Buffalo organization, and Phillip Rastelli, who would later head the Bonanno family in New York City."
Great info as usual.
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by CabriniGreen »

antimafia wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:24 pm Gaetano Badalamenti had relatives in Canada. His cousin Cesare Badalamenti moved to Detroit in the mid-1960s. Cesare had tight links with heroin trafficker Giuseppe Indelicato of Windsor, who was born in Siculiana. Indelicato had ties to Nick Rizzuto Sr. (see The Sixth Family... and elsewhere). Not that Cesare was a major narcotics trafficker, but was he still alive at the time of the December 7, 1984 report? I've never been able to find a DOD for him. Scott Burnstein could probably fill in some of the gaps in the report.

Lee Lamothe and Antonio Nicaso wrote in their Bloodlines... book, in a sidebar on p. 30, that Frank Cotroni Sr. "regularly met with Joseph Todaro Sr., who would become the head of the Buffalo organization, and Phillip Rastelli, who would later head the Bonanno family in New York City."
The Badalamenti had a midwest pipeline right? Or tried to start one?
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Re: Montreal FBI report December 1984

Post by Adam »

Yeah B., it probably was Anthony Randazzo, but I was always wary of that. But that makes the most sense.

And yeah, could easily be a Badalamenti. Or Salvatore Evola who lived in south east Michigan(close to the Ohio border and the Detroit Metro Airport) who got busted in 1984 in Pizza Connection. Evola was married to Gaetano Badalamenti's niece unless I've messed up the familial relationships again.
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