Melia brothers Connecticut/Toronto/Montreal/Italy

[motorfab]

I'm looking for info on the Vincenzo, Nicola & Rocco Melia brothers. They arrived in Montreal in 1952 before settling in Connecticut.

Nick settled there and Vincenzo was also active in Ontario and Montreal. It seems that Vince and a guy named Jerry Russo arranged the murder of Nick's girlfriend, Helen Nalfplotis in 1981. Cecil Kirby should have taken care of it but flipped before and Cosimo Commisso would have taken care of it. I believe Vince Melia was extradited to Canada after that. If I'm not mistaken, he left Canada after being shot in a bar following a falling out with Frank Cotroni in the early 2000s.

Nick Melia is also suspected to have gunned down Antonio Ianniello, a barber for whom Helen worked (apparently she survived), but no idea what happens next. I have the idea that the murder of his girlfriend is no stranger to this.

Nick was sentenced to 5 for a strip bar owner's shakedown in 2011 and died in May 2021. Obituary here : https://patch.com/connecticut/stamford/ ... 9-stamford

As for Vincenzo the last time I heard about him it was following a blitz against Locale Corona in 2012, an organization that brings together the families of Antonimina, Ardore, Canolo, Cimina e Cirella & Plati of which he was the boss. More info here : http://www.cn24tv.it/news/58422/operazi ... stati.html

As for Rocco I found nothing, not sure he was a criminal.

It's obviously very incomplete, but they're not the most known guys in organized crime, and since I believe there are Connecticut experts here, any further info will be much appreciated

[motorfab]

And it's Antonia Ianniello, sorry for the typo

[Tonyd621]

Your looking for info on just the 3 Brothers, correct?

[motorfab]

Your looking for info on just the 3 Brothers, correct?

Yes

[Tonyd621]

I'm from CT, far from an expert and not much historical context either. I do know he was tied to the Sicilian faction in Canada and was offered to be made twice by. the Gambinos twice but supposedly turned it down per casetext Sept 2,2011 U.S. vs Melia

[antimafia]

motorfab,

You may want to comb through the topic found at

viewtopic.php?t=3243
__________

Vincenzo Melia was shot in the face on the morning of August 28, 1998, which was either the date of Paul Cotroni’s funeral or the date of Cotroni's visitation (la veillée) at the Complexe Funéraire Loreto, which is owned by members of the Rizzuto and Renda families.

Melia was likely shot in the left eye that day, based on the images of him that accompanied Italian-language articles in the early 2010s -- I know you've seen the one below before, as it's part of the photo accompanying the CN24 article to which you posted a link:



According to one important document associated with Operazione Saggezza, Melia received le doti in 1962 -- see p. 119, Tribunale di Reggio Calabria, Sezione dei Giudici per le Indagini Preliminari, Ordinanza di Applicazione di Misura Cautelare e Decreto di Sequestro Preventivo. On p. 1990 of the same document is a very small part of a transcript of a conversation between Melia and son Nicola in which the former is likely talking about the attempted homicide in 1998 -- I've typed the relevant section below:

Le intercettazioni a suo carico, tra cui emergono quella dell'8 ottobre 2007, progr. n. 2241, in cui il MELIA Vincenzo racconta al figlio di avere subito nel passato un tentato omicidio (a me per quello mi hanno sparato? mi ha sparato... che fu quel cornuto di Vito..., perché quando gli hanno rubato la cosa gli ho dato 25.000 euro..., cornuto io volevo"), suscitando il conseguente commento del figlio ("noi ve lo abbiamo detto di no donare niente e voi non avete capito"), ....

The above does not offer any other context, nor any indication who this Vito is.

On p. 363 of the document, which refers to a conversation between Vincenzo Melia and nephew Giuseppe Polito, there is a mention of the Rocco Caruso who was among those arrested in Project Colisée in Quebec:

Ciò era desumibile dalla conversazione con il nipote Giuseppe^603, residente in America, già indicato in precedenza come "contabile di famiglia", poiché seguiva i conti di MELIA e del cugino CARUSO Rocco, tratto in arresto per traffico di stupefacenti nell'ambito dell'Operazione "Colosseum" condotta dalla polizia canadese nell'anno 2007, e dal contatto telefonico con la banca di Ardore.

Another interesting tidbit is on pp. 4 and 5 of the document:

MELIA Vincenzo, nella qualità di "Capo Corona," era posto al vertice della struttura, con compiti di decisione, pianificazione e individuazione delle azioni e delle strategie e, altresì impartendo le direttive agli associati; in particolare, dirigendo e organizzando il sodalizio, assumendo le decisioni più rilevanti, impartendo le disposizioni o comminando sanzioni agli atri associati cariche e doti, curando i rapporti con le altri articolazioni dell'associazione, in particolare con la 'ndrangheta australiana e con la famiglia Gambino del Connecticut (USA), dirimendo contrasti interni ed esterni al sodalizio, gestendo in prima persona l'attività di esercizio abusivo del credito e l'attività usuraria.

[motorfab]

Lots of good info, thank you Tonyd261 & antimafia.

The last point between the Connecticut & Australian Gambino connections shows that the Melias are/were definitely big.

By searching a few articles on the net, Helen Nalfplotis would in fact not have been assassinated but exfiltrated by the FBI when Kirby flipped to fool the Commissos, right?

Also came across this about this case https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/ap ... 300/76737/

I also saw that Vincenzo's son died in June 2020 https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/st ... 2jcnBszQhi

[Tonyd621]

I know this is not historically revelant but a few years ago when Melias house was robbed one of the guys that robbed it was shot in front of a halfway house in Pawtucket. Eddie Lato was currently staying there at the same time,coincidence? Alot of power for a guy who can't or refuses to be made by America LCN.

[motorfab]

I know this is not historically revelant but a few years ago when Melias house was robbed one of the guys that robbed it was shot in front of a halfway house in Pawtucket. Eddie Lato was currently staying there at the same time,coincidence? Alot of power for a guy who can't or refuses to be made by America LCN.

Don't believe much in coincidence for these kind of things ^^. But yeah, since he was well connected to the LCN and the Gambinos, that's not really surprising.

BTW, I screw up my previous post but you get the idea that I wanted to say "Gambino from Connecticut & Australian 'ndrangheta". Sorry I wrote to fast

[Tonyd621]

I know this is not historically revelant but a few years ago when Melias house was robbed one of the guys that robbed it was shot in front of a halfway house in Pawtucket. Eddie Lato was currently staying there at the same time,coincidence? Alot of power for a guy who can't or refuses to be made by America LCN.

Don't believe much in coincidence for these kind of things ^^. But yeah, since he was well connected to the LCN and the Gambinos, that's not really surprising.

BTW, I screw up my previous post but you get the idea that I wanted to say "Gambino from Connecticut & Australian 'ndrangheta". Sorry I wrote to fast

Melia has no association with Cosmo Sandalo? The ndrgangheta gambino guy who came over from Canada who was made on the other side? He was in Connecticut his whole life and Megale was his nephew. I'm surprised there's no link. Alot of similarities.

[antimafia]

Lots of good info, thank you Tonyd261 & antimafia.

The last point between the Connecticut & Australian Gambino connections shows that the Melias are/were definitely big.

By searching a few articles on the net, Helen Nalfplotis would in fact not have been assassinated but exfiltrated by the FBI when Kirby flipped to fool the Commissos, right?

Also came across this about this case https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/ap ... 300/76737/

I also saw that Vincenzo's son died in June 2020 https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/st ... 2jcnBszQhi

At a certain point in Satan Choice member Cecil Kirby's participation in a sting devised by the American and Canadian authorities, Nafpliotis was told by law enforcement of the plot to kill her. She even got to meet Kirby, profusely thanking him.

I highly recommend getting a used copy of Mafia Assassin: The Inside Story of a Canadian Biker, Hitman, and Police Informer for some of the most comprehensive details about the murder plot and the sting. The book was also published under the title Mafia Enforcer: A True Story of Life and Death in the Mob. The book also contains a lot of other information about the members of the Siderno Group in Canada and the US, as well as interesting tidbits on other subjects--the most notable of which is that in the 1970s, the Toronto-based Commissos had their differences with the Violi brothers in Quebec, with some of the conflict having to do with 'ndrangheta politics in Calabria. Kirby even insinuates that the Commissos had a hand in the murders of Francesco and Paolo Violi.

The link to my Evernote item below will take you to a note that contains two French-language articles about the attempted murder of Vincenzo Melia--two PDFs represent two separate pages of one article. Pierre de Champlain had e-mailed me the PDFs back in 2012.

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s229/sh/ ... b15c2ffc91

[antimafia]

I know this is not historically revelant but a few years ago when Melias house was robbed one of the guys that robbed it was shot in front of a halfway house in Pawtucket. Eddie Lato was currently staying there at the same time,coincidence? Alot of power for a guy who can't or refuses to be made by America LCN.

Don't believe much in coincidence for these kind of things ^^. But yeah, since he was well connected to the LCN and the Gambinos, that's not really surprising.

BTW, I screw up my previous post but you get the idea that I wanted to say "Gambino from Connecticut & Australian 'ndrangheta". Sorry I wrote to fast

Melia has no association with Cosmo Sandalo? The ndrgangheta gambino guy who came over from Canada who was made on the other side? He was in Connecticut his whole life and Megale was his nephew. I'm surprised there's no link. Alot of similarities.

Vincenzo and Nick Melia likely did know Cosmo Sandalo because of geographic proximity in Connecticut and the guiding hand of Giacomo Luppino and Mike Racco in the affairs of 'ndranghetisti in North America, regardless of whether the 'ndranghetisti such as Luppino were later inducted into the American LCN. The Melias and Sandalo likely had or might have had the same contacts in Ontario and Quebec: individuals with Calabrian ancestry who had 'ndrangheta roots, and other individuals such as the Ontario-based Volpe brothers -- see viewtopic.php?f=29&t=7158&hilit=Cosmo+Sandalo (which you've seen before).

Paul Volpe's brother John (middle name: Anthony) lived in Bridgeport, CT for several decades. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Sandalo and John Volpe had ties.

[Extortion]

I wonder if that Andrade guy who was whacked outside the halfway house that Eddie Lato stayed in was due to him messing with Melia and tying him up etc

[Tonyd621]

I wonder if that Andrade guy who was whacked outside the halfway house that Eddie Lato stayed in was due to him messing with Melia and tying him up etc

Ther article below it is noted that the detectives were looking into that as a possible motive per Tim White

https://www.wpri.com/target-12/feds-rel ... S3hwRnV3LQ..

'As Target 12 previously reported, detectives are looking to see whether Andrade was killed in retribution for a 2010 home invasion during which he tied up an associate of New York’s infamous Gambino crime family."

[Tonyd621]

I wonder if that Andrade guy who was whacked outside the halfway house that Eddie Lato stayed in was due to him messing with Melia and tying him up etc

Imo it's a strong possibility. I know it's2021 and not many hits are being ordered,but the theory has merit enough to be stated to the media by the FBI. And Tim White is a credentialed reporter.

The two other men who committed this home invasion was Gennaro Miele of Niantic,CT and a Steve or Steven Conti out of Massachusetts I believe. Conti become an informant and they supposedly made over $200k in cash and jewelry from Melia.
The hit on Andrade definitely wasn't random. That much is true.