Montreal: Rocco Sollecito has just been shot dead

[Laurentian]

In all seriousness, he is a made member up there who was born in Siculiana, so I am curious if he has any contact with the players up there. He is the only "legitimate" member of the Montreal crew that I know of.

This is a very serious and important allegation you are doing. What are your basis to allege that?

[Pogo The Clown]

Frank Lino testified that he was introduced to him as a made member.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CLAIM THAT POL'S IN MOB ROCKS CANADA

BY Greg B. Smith

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, November 19, 2004, 12:00 AM


THE REVELATION that a New York Mafioso had called a top Canadian politician a "made" member of the mob rocked the Great White North yesterday. The politician, former cabinet member and Ambassador Alfonso Gagliano, yesterday denied knowing anything about the Mafia.

The Daily News reported Thursday that secret FBI documents show Gagliano was identified by a top Mafia informer as a member of the Bonanno crime family. The informer, ex-Bonanno capo Frank Lino, told the FBI that he was introduced to Gagliano during a meeting of top Bonanno gangsters in Montreal in the 1990s, according to the documents.

Lino said he and other top Bonanno gangsters from New York visited Montreal to let the family's Canadian branch know that Joseph Massino was the new boss of the family. During the sit-down at a catering hall, Lino said, Gagliano was introduced to him as a politician and a soldier in the family, according to the documents. Lino emphasized that only made members of the family were allowed to attend the meeting.


Gagliano, a longtime member of Canada's Liberal Party, served in the cabinet, first as labor minister and then as minister of public works and government services. He also was Canada's ambassador to Denmark. In an interview with the Canadian Broadcast Corp. yesterday, Gagliano denied Lino's allegation, saying, "This is . . . shocking to me and my family. It's absurd. Everything. I never heard, met anybody. I read the article. I don't know all the names mentioned in the article. I have no idea what they're talking about.

" Gagliano's attorney Pierre Fornier did not return calls from The News seeking comment Wednesday. Gagliano's denials came as opposition party member Stephen Harper discussed The News report on the floor of the House of Commons and demanded answers from Prime Minister Paul Martin, head of the Liberal Party. Martin cautioned Harper "that one should not repeat allegations or accept them prematurely.

" Gagliano was dismissed as ambassador in February after his name surfaced in a corruption scandal swirling around his former job as public works minister.

[Laurentian]

Frank Lino testified that he was introduced to him as a made member.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CLAIM THAT POL'S IN MOB ROCKS CANADA

BY Greg B. Smith

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, November 19, 2004, 12:00 AM


THE REVELATION that a New York Mafioso had called a top Canadian politician a "made" member of the mob rocked the Great White North yesterday. The politician, former cabinet member and Ambassador Alfonso Gagliano, yesterday denied knowing anything about the Mafia.

The Daily News reported Thursday that secret FBI documents show Gagliano was identified by a top Mafia informer as a member of the Bonanno crime family. The informer, ex-Bonanno capo Frank Lino, told the FBI that he was introduced to Gagliano during a meeting of top Bonanno gangsters in Montreal in the 1990s, according to the documents.

Lino said he and other top Bonanno gangsters from New York visited Montreal to let the family's Canadian branch know that Joseph Massino was the new boss of the family. During the sit-down at a catering hall, Lino said, Gagliano was introduced to him as a politician and a soldier in the family, according to the documents. Lino emphasized that only made members of the family were allowed to attend the meeting.


Gagliano, a longtime member of Canada's Liberal Party, served in the cabinet, first as labor minister and then as minister of public works and government services. He also was Canada's ambassador to Denmark. In an interview with the Canadian Broadcast Corp. yesterday, Gagliano denied Lino's allegation, saying, "This is . . . shocking to me and my family. It's absurd. Everything. I never heard, met anybody. I read the article. I don't know all the names mentioned in the article. I have no idea what they're talking about.

" Gagliano's attorney Pierre Fornier did not return calls from The News seeking comment Wednesday. Gagliano's denials came as opposition party member Stephen Harper discussed The News report on the floor of the House of Commons and demanded answers from Prime Minister Paul Martin, head of the Liberal Party. Martin cautioned Harper "that one should not repeat allegations or accept them prematurely.

" Gagliano was dismissed as ambassador in February after his name surfaced in a corruption scandal swirling around his former job as public works minister.

I am familiar with that article. It is a complete garbage, typical to the Daily.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Did Gagliano sue for defamation?

The paper, garbage or not, cites FBI documents. To simply make this up would be a stretch. Even for a rag. And leave the paper open to libel.

That it wasn't litigated against indicates there is truth to the accusation.

[Angelo Santino]

Alfonso Gagliano's membership was also covered in T6F, pgs. 244-246, ch 27. The source is allegedly an unreleased Pagano debriefing.

[JCB1977]

Montreal is more exciting than any family in the U.S. They are fucking brutal over there!

[B.]

In all seriousness, he is a made member up there who was born in Siculiana, so I am curious if he has any contact with the players up there. He is the only "legitimate" member of the Montreal crew that I know of.

This is a very serious and important allegation you are doing. What are your basis to allege that?

I was joking about Gagliano having any involvement in what's been going on in Montreal for the past ten years, but Lino's knowledge of Montreal was limited to what he experienced and he would have little incentive to lie about Gagliano's membership. The chances that Lino would pick a random politician who happened to be born in the same area of Sicily as other Montreal mafia members and cite him as a member for some unknown reason is very unlikely.

Also, an important distinction that I think gets lost on here, and I'm not saying you are guilty of this, but "mafia member" does not necessarily mean "criminal". It's rare, but there have been "sleeper" members who have had no known criminal involvement. It would seem to be a given that if Gagliano was made a member of the Montreal decina, he would have at least done favors for other members, but who knows.

Do you have information that contradicts Lino's claim?

[Laurentian]

In all seriousness, he is a made member up there who was born in Siculiana, so I am curious if he has any contact with the players up there. He is the only "legitimate" member of the Montreal crew that I know of.

This is a very serious and important allegation you are doing. What are your basis to allege that?

I was joking about Gagliano having any involvement in what's been going on in Montreal for the past ten years, but Lino's knowledge of Montreal was limited to what he experienced and he would have little incentive to lie about Gagliano's membership. The chances that Lino would pick a random politician who happened to be born in the same area of Sicily as other Montreal mafia members and cite him as a member for some unknown reason is very unlikely.

Also, an important distinction that I think gets lost on here, and I'm not saying you are guilty of this, but "mafia member" does not necessarily mean "criminal". It's rare, but there have been "sleeper" members who have had no known criminal involvement. It would seem to be a given that if Gagliano was made a member of the Montreal decina, he would have at least done favors for other members, but who knows.

Do you have information that contradicts Lino's claim?

Thanks B. for your reply.

I feel relieve you were joking. All right then.

I agree with you that Cosa Nostra in the past has inducted persons who were not per se criminals. I think that there are lots of exemples in Sicily and in USA, mostly in New York City. I dont reject the possibility that Gagliano might be one, but personally I doubt a bit.

Because of my former position as intelligence analyst in the RCMP (I have been retired now for a number of years), I am not answer any question in regard of this topic, furthermore. That is my last post on that subject. Thanks again.

[B.]

No problem. I didn't know your history with the RCMP but that's very cool and you're a definite asset to the forum based on your expertise.

[Laurentian]

No problem. I didn't know your history with the RCMP but that's very cool and you're a definite asset to the forum based on your expertise.

Maybe, but I always keep in my mind in frequenting mafia boards over the last 15 years or so, that there people on these boards who learnt me a lot on the mafia. Lot of people here, for exemple, have great wealth of knowledge.

I want to come back on Cosa Nostra and inductions issue.

The FBI has many years ago set up 3 criteria as to state that someone is a "made" member or not.

a) by the own admission of the person;
b) by information given by another "made" member who is now informing;
c) and by a corroboration by another source closed to that person.

Those three elements have been generally accepted as evidence before courts. So this is why I find always delicate to say that such individual is a "made" member, specially when writing books. I have got to be sure otherwise the guy can sue me.

Vincenzo Cotroni was very adamant with this. A journo would describe him a "godfather", and you were sure to hear from his lawyers the following day. This is a serious allegation and people writing on the mafia and organized crime are not always paying attention to this.

[B.]

I want to come back on Cosa Nostra and inductions issue.

The FBI has many years ago set up 3 criteria as to state that someone is a "made" member or not.

a) by the own admission of the person;
b) by information given by another "made" member who is now informing;
c) and by a corroboration by another source closed to that person.

Those three elements have been generally accepted as evidence before courts. So this is why I find always delicate to say that such individual is a "made" member, specially when writing books. I have got to be sure otherwise the guy can sue me.

Vincenzo Cotroni was very adamant with this. A journo would describe him a "godfather", and you were sure to hear from his lawyers the following day. This is a serious allegation and people writing on the mafia and organized crime are not always paying attention to this.

Definitely good points, especially when dealing with this from a legal or professional place. I know that Colombo soldier John Staluppi, an incredibly wealthy businessman, has threatened to sue sites that mention his connection to the Colombo family. Alleged Bonanno member Joseph Spadaro, who was to the best of our knowledge an esteemed and fully legitimate businessman, wrote an angry letter (and may have sued? Can't recall) to a newspaper or magazine after they listed him as a member.

One good thing about this board is that it's private, so someone would have to register and then run an internal search to come across names like Gagliano or Staluppi. I feel pretty comfortable discussing anyone who has been named as a member by a dependable witness, informant, or trustworthy journalist, even if it's not necessarily a legally or professionally sound

[Laurentian]

There has been a new victim late this afternoon in Montréal. The victim is 72 years old.

[OlBlueEyesClub]

And Lupara, no, I'm not mistaking Spagnolo for Stefano Sollecito. Long before it was revealed that Leonardo Rizzuto was indeed a boss in the Montreal Mafia and that there was a co-boss , roundtable thing going on , articles were saying that Spagnolo was the sole boss of the Montreal Mafia and that he was being groomed by Vito before he died and took over with the blessing of the family.

Again, you're confusing Spagnolo with Stefano Sollecito. Spagnolo has never been identified as the sole leader of the Montreal Mafia.

Man , I'm telling you, I'm not confusing him with anyone.


http://aboutthemafia.com/tag/nicola-spagnolo


Those two articles were reported first by the usual Canadian news sources...Prior to those articles, there were articles that were suggesting Nicola Spagnolo was the sole boss and that he'd been groomed for that position. I'm not confusing him with anyone. It went from him being sole boss, to him and Stefano being the main guys, the two bosses who sat at the round table. To Stefano then being the sole boss. To being proven through MAGOT & MASTIF that he wasn't a boss at all, and that it was actually Stefano & Leonardo who were the bosses.

First, these articles could have been written by anyone. There's no link to the original sources. Second, the articles don't even mention Nicola Spagnolo as sole boss of the Montreal Mafia who was groomed by Vito.

Yes, you are confused with Stefano Sollecito, who was in fact described in articles as being groomed by Vito for the top spot.

Those two articles showed up first in the Canadian news sources . Second, I never said THOSE two articles mentioned him as the sole boss. If you actually read my post, I posted those articles to go along with the timeline I mentioned in the very first paragraph after posting the link. And again, I'm not confusing Spagnolo with Stefano Sollecito. But believe what you want, your opinion in regards to whom I'm confusing who with is irrelevant to me , no disresprct, as I know what I'm talking about and know what I read and know where I read it at. And its this point is not even important to the overall topic . But thanks for your input.

BTW, here's a link to one of the early articles mentioning Spagnolo as part of the ruling table...

http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2015/0 ... ntrealaise


Here's an article which makes mention of the closeness of he and his family to Vito Rizzuto after Vito returned to Montreal ... I can no longer find the link, so here's the quote of it when it was posted on RD, by Irish Jimmy...BTW, while this article doesn't state it, its said that Nicolas father , Vincenzo spoke to Vito regularly during his incarceration and that he was frequently seen with Vito on the golf course during Vito's trips to Montreal. I'll post the link which states that , after this article.

Posted April 12, 2013 at 07:45 | Updated at 07:45

A close Rizzuto in jail for nine months



Daniel Renaud
Press

Nicola Spagnolo, 38, whose family is part of the circle of the faithful sponsor of Vito Rizzuto, was sentenced to nine months in prison yesterday morning at the Montreal courthouse for a case of possession of a weapon.

June 24, 2010, while the Sicilians were assailed on all sides, Spagnolo has been involved in a traffic accident at 11:20 p.m. at the corner of René-Lévesque and Mansfield, Montreal. After the collision, a citizen found the strange behavior of the driver and called 911. When police arrived, they arrested him and found a gun Beretta 9mm.

Spagnolo pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of concealing a weapon and possession of a weapon whose serial number has been altered. In sentencing him to nine months in prison, Judge Claude Parent of the Court of Quebec went to a joint submission of counsel for the defense, Mr. Loris Cavaliere and his counterpart from the Crown, Mr. Dominique Potvin.

Nicola Spagnolo appeared detained because he is currently serving a short sentence for a case of driving while impaired. It has also some background in this area.

Spagnolo does not have a lengthy criminal record, but he has already been acquitted of a charge of possession of a weapon for an incident that occurred less than a month before the operation Coliseum in November 2006.

Bodyguard

Vincenzo Spagnolo, Nicola's father is a friend of Vito Rizzuto. In the late 80s, he had already offered to pay a deposit of 1 million for the release of the sponsor following his arrest for seizure of 32 tons of hashish in Sept-Îles.

In 2003, investigators had observed Coliseum project along with Vito Rizzuto and other individuals associated with the Mafia during a round of golf in the Dominican Republic.

Following his arrest in 2004, Vito Rizzuto Vincenzo Spagnolo called regularly in prison, according to the book Mafia Inc. (André Cédilot formerly refer to La Presse).

According to our sources, Spagnolo are present in the environment of Vito Rizzuto since his release and return to Quebec last fall.

http://coolopolis.blogspot.com/2015/10/ ... e.html?m=1


Here's a link , that called Nicola Spagnolo, the right hand man of "the leader" Stefano Sollecito, and his seat at "La Table"...Like I said, articles came out that implied that Sollecito & Spagnolo were the co-bosses.

http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2015/0 ... ls-molotov


I'll try to find some more for you...

And Lupara, no, I'm not mistaking Spagnolo for Stefano Sollecito. Long before it was revealed that Leonardo Rizzuto was indeed a boss in the Montreal Mafia and that there was a co-boss , roundtable thing going on , articles were saying that Spagnolo was the sole boss of the Montreal Mafia and that he was being groomed by Vito before he died and took over with the blessing of the family.

Again, you're confusing Spagnolo with Stefano Sollecito. Spagnolo has never been identified as the sole leader of the Montreal Mafia.

Man , I'm telling you, I'm not confusing him with anyone.


http://aboutthemafia.com/tag/nicola-spagnolo


Those two articles were reported first by the usual Canadian news sources...Prior to those articles, there were articles that were suggesting Nicola Spagnolo was the sole boss and that he'd been groomed for that position. I'm not confusing him with anyone. It went from him being sole boss, to him and Stefano being the main guys, the two bosses who sat at the round table. To Stefano then being the sole boss. To being proven through MAGOT & MASTIF that he wasn't a boss at all, and that it was actually Stefano & Leonardo who were the bosses.


And you guys are all wrong, Gene Gotti controls Montreal. And this is a war because the Bonannos want their power back, Vinny Basciano is calling the shots from his ADX prison cell, word is he was behind the hit on Giordano AND Rocco Sollecito.


And in regards to Desjardins, the guy had enough pull to send an Italian, Giuseppe Colapelle, who at one point was very close to the Rizzuto faction, to infiltrate Montagna's core group in Montreal and report to him Montagna's every move , from the moment they aligned. So I don't doubt there are many Italian/Calabrians that owe some form of loyalty to Desjardins. But those who weren't killed, are imprisoned right along with him. But that doesn't mean he still doesn't have some influence on the street. I'll tell you this much with Mom Boucher putting contracts on his head, and Vito killing off the remainder of his presumed allies, Desjardins always gave off the vibe that he was cool as a cucumber through all of it. I too still question if he and Fernandez were actual made members or not, to be honest. Vito made calls and wanted Fernandez to return to his side even after he told bosses who questioned him in Italy , that he was a made man. There was never an implication given that he was going to be penalized by Vito for claiming to real Italian family bosses that it was him specifically who had Fernandez inducted. Fernandez still had contact with Rocco Sollecito prior to his death. And Vito wanted him back by his side, again. Requesting Fernandez to come meet with him in Cuba and the DR. Where its said Vito always met his allies there post his prison release. And even after being blown off once, he was still convinced he could persuade Fernandez to join his side. I just don't see Vito going through all this effort, for a guy who lied about his induction into Vito's mafia family . But then I always think of history, and how a non-italian was never inducted. And I just can't see Vito going against long standing tradition like that and inducting two non-italians and giving them actual making ceremonies. Even if he was the same guy who severed his criminal familial ties to the Bonannos.

The mafia and their traditiona are only as strong as people allow them to be. Sure its possible Vito couldve given these guys a ceremony but nobody fron Italy or NY would care hence making it invalid. In their own section of the underworld they have their codes. Im sure a Hell Angel will acknowledge Joe Bravos status as a criminal the same weather he had a ceremony or not it dont matter to them aa much but try going to Sicily and getting them to acknowledge is a totally different thing.

What Im saying is it isnt black and white. Vito supposedly making these guys only will have implications from within and wouldnt affect their standing to other groups.

I agree with you that it isn't black and white, which is why I said I don't know either way how to call either way if either Fernandez nor Desjardins were made or not. And I agree that if they were made. It wouldn't effect Rizzuto Families standing with other families, however if Fernandez was lying about Vito personally making him, it would affect Fernandez' standing with Vito Rizzuto and other members of his family. Yet it didn't, Vito still wanted Fernandez on his side even after he knew that Fernandez was telling bosses in Bagheria that he was made into the Montreal Mafia by Vito Rizzuto. Which may go to show that he wasn't lying. But I'm still not ready to make a determination if he or Desjardins was actually made or not.



@Laurentian, the name hasn't been released yet?

[Laurentian]

There has been a new victim late this afternoon in Montréal. The victim is 72 years old man.

The victim is Antonio D'Onofrio.

[Laurentian]

There has been a new victim late this afternoon in Montréal. The victim is 72 years old man.

It is now confirmed. The victime is Antonio D'Onofrio, 72. I must admit that this guy totally unknown to me!