Buffalo/Ontario Mob Acitivity

[antimafia]

^^^^
Alleged Hells Angels biker swept up in gambling bust shot dead
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/all ... -shot-dead

[AntComello]

Wonder who’s behind this one since there’s been a “truce” called between mafia and HA

[antimafia]

Wonder who’s behind this one since there’s been a “truce” called between mafia and HA

Rob Barletta is another significant HA from the Project Hobart investigation who, so far, has had one attempt on his life when he was living in Toronto, and later on, after moving to Quebec, whose residences were respectively set on fire and shot at. He’s still in Quebec, where he’s believed to have become a member of the Hells in that province who is assisting the influential HA Martin Robert with increasing the Hells’ share of revenue from illegal gambling in Quebec (and probably elsewhere).

We don’t know yet whether Craig McIlquham is the latest casualty of a particular conflict in a particular territory. Burlington, where he was killed (as was Pat Musitano), is in Halton Region, but McIlquham’s ties to the Niagara region are important. We do know that he and Barletta continued to partner with ’ndranghetisti in the Greater Toronto Area after, IMHO, Vito Rizzuto lost overall authority over the Platinum Sportsbook, which is exclusively illegal Internet gambling. Rizzuto, the Figliomenis, and the HAs were all partners when Platinum was born.

[antimafia]

A legitimate paywall-free version of Peter Edwards’s article on the murder of Hells Angel Craig McIlquham is available at the link below.

Long­time Hells Angel gunned down out­side Bur­l­ing­ton res­taur­ant

https://pressreader.com/article/281599541374732

[antimafia]

Wonder who’s behind this one since there’s been a “truce” called between mafia and HA

Rob Barletta is another significant HA from the Project Hobart investigation who, so far, has had one attempt on his life when he was living in Toronto, and later on, after moving to Quebec, whose residences were respectively set on fire and shot at. He’s still in Quebec, where he’s believed to have become a member of the Hells in that province who is assisting the influential HA Martin Robert with increasing the Hells’ share of revenue from illegal gambling in Quebec (and probably elsewhere).

We don’t know yet whether Craig McIlquham is the latest casualty of a particular conflict in a particular territory. Burlington, where he was killed (as was Pat Musitano), is in Halton Region, but McIlquham’s ties to the Niagara region are important. We do know that he and Barletta continued to partner with ’ndranghetisti in the Greater Toronto Area after, IMHO, Vito Rizzuto lost overall authority over the Platinum Sportsbook, which is exclusively illegal Internet gambling. Rizzuto, the Figliomenis, and the HAs were all partners when Platinum was born.

Excerpts below from an older article are relevant in this discussion. NB: OPP=Ontario Provincial Police.

Thursday, December 19, 2019
By Louie Rosella | InsideHalton.com
Hells Angels member from Oakville among 7 Halton residents charged in illegal gaming operation tied to ‘an escalation in violence across Ontario’
OPP focus was on an illegal gaming organization controlled by members of the Hell’s Angels
https://www.insidehalton.com/news/crime ... 000af.html

Nearly 30 people are facing more than 200 criminal charges in connection with a multi-million dollar illegal gaming operation tied to a series of attempted murders, arsons, extortion threats, shootings and assaults.

One of those charged, 49-year-old Oakville resident Craig McIlquham, is a member of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle gang, the OPP said in a release.

OPP launched Project Hobart as a result of “an escalation of violence across Ontario and Quebec” between August 2017 and May 2018 which included attempted murders, arsons, extortion threats, shootings and assaults.

[snip]

Their focus was on an illegal gaming organization controlled by members of the Hell’s Angels outlaw motorcycle gang.

[snip]

The investigation suggests the sportsbooks have been in operation for more than five years and have brought in gross revenues of more that [sic] $131 million, police said.

Police linked the operators of this illegal gaming organization to the Figliomeni crime family.

[antimafia]

That was one of the better news conferences that I have seen. They must be pretty confident with the information that they have. I think a lot will come out of this.

I'm cross-posting here.

My notes:

- Jabril Hassan Abdalla was arrested at home yesterday at around 3:00 pm. He lives in Hamilton and is from Hamilton.

- Michael Cudmore and Daniel Mario Tomassetti are at large. There are Canada-wide warrants for their arrest, and law enforcement here will try to get the warrants endorsed internationally -- Interpol was mentioned.

- The three individuals were involved in different ways in the murder of Angelo Musitano and attempted murder of Saverio "Sam" Serrano (one of Diego Serrano's three sons; you'll recall that the latter attempt, which was botched, resulted in the murder of Saverio's girlfriend, Mila Barberi). One of the three is believed to be the shooter in both murders. All three were likely doing the bidding of higher-ups in an Italian organized-crime group, i.e., the three were not the masterminds. The three engaged in sophisticated surveillance not only of the intended targets but of the intended targets' families. Cudmore, who is believed to be missing (as opposed to at large), is a friend of criminal Daniele "Danny" Ranieri.

- Ranieri was considered to be a person of interest in both murder plots. Were he still alive, he would still be a person of interest. You see, Ranieri, one of the people on which Project Forza was focused in December 2014, was found murdered in a ditch in Cancún, Mexico this past March. He had been bound and gagged. You'll recall that he was an associate of Spanish-born Juan Ramon Fernandez, aka Joe Bravo, who as a well-known associate of Vito Rizzuto, died in a shocking manner in Casteldaccia, just outside of Palermo, when he and friend Fernando Pimentel of Mississauga, Ontario were found burned and shot. You' may also reecall that while in Sicily, Fernandez was heard saying in audio surveillance something along the lines of, They better not touch Danny. After Fernandez was murdered, there was speculation that Ranieri would take over the former's "crew" in the Greater Toronto Area, which was considered to have ties to Rizzuto and the Montreal Mafia.

- Peter Edwards did report this past July that Ranieri was not found dead in Mexico last December -- see https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/0 ... -says.html and Edwards's blog post at https://peteredwardsauthor.com/2018/07/ ... cial-says/. I can tell you that Edwards worked on that story for a number of months but I can't tell you what a source told him earlier this year about Ranieri, information that Edwards did not include in his July 9 article.

- At some point, Cudmore's family has (had?) been told about Ranieri's murder, and the family, as well as law enforcement, now fears that Cudmore has also been killed in Mexico.

- The recently murdered Al Iavarone knew two of the accused in the Musitano murder. Iavarone also knew a person of interest in the plot to murder Musitano. Iavarone knew Musitano.
Law enforcement does not yet know whether there is a common motive for the murder of Musitano and the attempted murder of Serrano.

- Apart from the investigations being multi-jurisdictional here in Canada, there was also co-operation with the FBI, DEA, and Department of Homeland Security (which I think had to do with Ranieri's and Cudmore's presence in Mexico). The Mexican authorities have also been assisting.

One of Diego Serrano’s sons has passed away.

Obituary for Francesco Serrano:

https://www.vesciofuneralhome.com/memor ... o/5590597/

The online condolences are already interesting.

Looks as though Diego’s son Saverio got married at some point after girlfriend Mila Barberi was killed in the botched attempt on Saverio.

[johnny_scootch]

Scott is reporting the new Buffalo administration is Joe Todaro Jr - Boss / Bobby Panaro - Underboss / Vic Sansanese - Consigliere

https://youtu.be/D4byyMHV5Bs

[pat_marcy]

I can’t watch his videos. Putting aside his credibility, he’s not the most articulate when talking for want of a better word. Very erm, ummm, erm and start and stoppy. Be a lot more interesting if he spoke in full clear sentences.

[VC2]

gidday all, new member here just approved. have been posting on other site for a few years and recently stumbled upon the BH forum. it was in seeking better info about chicago outfit and what a source of all kinds of great info you guys on here have compiled, very impressive.

on to this topic and sb video about buffalo. violi no longer being underboss has got to be the most suspicious claim. sounds like was demoted? shelved? not too sure. no canadian mafia experts have made this claim yet or anyone else so thats interesting. i suppose todaro, or any boss for that matter may have done this. violi being caught on a wire discussing the lead up to his promotion with anyone wasnt great for him i suppose and then being sent to jail on o tremens charges. buffalo could have promoted someone to acting ub and i would have thought a guy like rocco luppino could have been the guy but this appears to not be the case.

outside of that i like to think i have knowledge of mostly the chicago outfit and the montreal mafia, those being the 2 i have consistently followed most closely. the outfit era i am currently working on is after accardos death and into 2000s. the mtl mafia post vitos death has to be one of the most interesting mafia/crime sagas anywhere in the world in the last 10 plus years and have researched it extensively also.

happy friday.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Welcome to the boards!

My advice would be to take the provider of the above posts info, with a grain of salt. A large one.

Happy Friday!

[antimafia]

A legitimate paywall-free version of Peter Edwards’s article on the murder of Hells Angel Craig McIlquham is available at the link below.

Long­time Hells Angel gunned down out­side Bur­l­ing­ton res­taur­ant

https://pressreader.com/article/281599541374732

Peter Edwards has written another article about this topic:

‘Brazen’ killing at Mandarin restaurant near Toronto shines light on Hells Angels’ changing business model
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/brazen ... a0955.html

Toronto Star's paywall-free version:

https://pressreader.com/article/281625311194961

[AntComello]

A legitimate paywall-free version of Peter Edwards’s article on the murder of Hells Angel Craig McIlquham is available at the link below.

Long­time Hells Angel gunned down out­side Bur­l­ing­ton res­taur­ant

https://pressreader.com/article/281599541374732

Peter Edwards has written another article about this topic:

‘Brazen’ killing at Mandarin restaurant near Toronto shines light on Hells Angels’ changing business model
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/brazen ... a0955.html

Toronto Star's paywall-free version:

https://pressreader.com/article/281625311194961

Great article. Seems like the gambling business in Canada has become just as dangerous as the drug business.

[NickleCity]

Frank Tripi DTO
Alleged by HSI Agent Curtis Ryan to be connected to IOC in Buffalo during Bongiovanni trial 1



Here is a link to the chart I've been putting together on Little Sis: https://littlesis.org/oligrapher/10333-frank-tripi-dto

Frank Tripi DTO
-Frank was the primary target of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s (OCDETF) Operation Past Due
-The DTO is alleged to have an international component in Canada
-The investigation involved multiple states including California and Nevada
-Local Law Enforcement included offices from the ATF, DEA, IRS, state and local agencies including the Niagara Falls Police Department
-The Tripi DTO is alleged to have trafficked cocaine, marijuana, and heroin while laundering money via bulk cash movement by air, wire transfer, business fronts, casinos, and property investments (real estate).
-Alleged to be connected to Italian Organized Crime in Buffalo by SA Curtis Ryan.

Origin of Operation Past Due
Niagara Falls Police, NFPD, narcotics detectives contacted the Buffalo DEA task force regarding drug activity involving a collection agency, Direct Mediators, located at 1615 Pine Avenue, Niagara Falls, New York. NFPD narcotics detectives interviewed an employee that quit after one week of employment at the collection agency that remained anonymous. He/she observed illegal activity such as cocaine, heroin, prescription drugs, and marijuana being sold out of the collection agency. He/she stated that Frank Tripi, the owner of the agency, stayed in the back office which was off limits to the employees.

Scope of Frank Tripi DTO
The geographic scope of this organization has currently been identified as being Santa Cruz, California and the Western New York area, specifically Niagara Falls, New York, and Buffalo, New York.

The total number of participants in this organization has yet to be fully identified. However, it is believed that the organization consists of at least eleven identified members, and likely many more who have yet to be identified.

It is believed that this organization is currently engaged in the distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and various prescription drugs. It is currently believed, based on confidential source information, that this organization is distributing in excess of at least 2 kilograms of cocaine and multiple ounce quantities of heroin, multiple pounds of marijuana, and unknown quantities of prescription drugs per month in the Western New York area.

Tripi is obtaining his heroin from Ohio and driving it back to the Western New York area in vehicles with hidden compartments. Tripi himself is also involved with the coordination of trafficking of cocaine, marijuana, and prescription drugs. It is unknown at the present time how the cocaine and prescription drugs are delivered to Tripi.


Goals of Operation Past Due
The overall goals of this investigation are to identify the totality of this drug-trafficking organization, including but not limited to the commanding and control elements, smuggling routes and methods, distribution networks, methods utilized to avoid apprehension by law enforcement, and money laundering methods.

The Mark and Sam Zito Family
In 2021 Sam Zito and 2 others were convicted of smuggling over 600 pounds marijuana from Canada. See: https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crim ... 5f0df.html

Sam and Mark Zito are brothers. See: https://www.mjcoluccifuneralchapel.com/obituary/477340

Their father Mark, a laborer at Local 91, was involved with shady stuff in The Falls. He was alleged to be involved in a fee splitting scheme while on the School Board. See: https://buffalonews.com/news/zito-is-ar ... 2c047.html And he was alleged to be involved in a travel scandal while on the board: https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/lo ... dd170.html

Additionally Mark Zito Sr. started the Niagara Power Coalition, but was accused of using his position with that organization for his personal gain. See: https://www.niagara-gazette.com/lawyers ... ed1a2.html For payments to son Mark and Fiancé see also: https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/lo ... c9e81.html

Snip...

Bonita Pugliese was formerly known as Bonita Zito and it appears her sons are Mark and Sam Zito. Her mother was Concetta (nee Nudo) and her father was Nicholas Pugliese of Niagara Falls. A Nicholas and Paul Pugliese come up in previous court documents related to the Bongiovanni/Gerace/Masecchia case. See: https://buffalonews.newspapers.com/arti ... 172388512/ ... with a little research I've found that Mark and Sam had lived with her at the Saunders Settlement address.

[NickleCity]

NC -- Have you been able to confirm Richie Todaro Jr.'s membership and his relation, if any, to the other Todaros? He was high-placed in the family's bookmaking operations and was carried as a suspected member into the early 1970s.

A CI described Richard Todaro as a Lieutenant.


His full name is Richard Joseph Todaro.


It looks as if he died in May 1, 2017.


This Richard was born in Feb 1, 1935 according to his gravestone and 1936 according to his obituary: See: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/le ... =185280853

The Buffalo News articles about his bookmaking arrests put his birth around 1931/32.

His wife appears to be Rosalia nee Panepinto who was the daughter of Charles. See: https://buffalonews.newspapers.com/arti ... 172462944/

Rosalia appears to still be alive.

According to Spokeo Rosalia and Richard were close to the same age and indicates they had a relative named named Linda who had lived with them. Linda married Anthony LaScala in 1985 and the Buffalo News article says she was the daughter of Mr and Mrs. Richard J Todaro. See: https://buffalonews.newspapers.com/arti ... 172469911/