I bet it's gunna be bigger than Carlo Gambino's with a who's who of guys from Europe and North America, also I'm no expert on Canada but I'm gunna peg Rocco Solecitto and his three sons as people to watch

I'm curious to see where he is buried, being that him and his wife have crypts in Cattolica Eraclea.

Yea I find it funny some folks will post "what does NY think about this" every time something happens in Montreal. Vito hasn't answered to anyone for a while now, even when Massino was still boss. I'd say after George from Canada was clipped by Massino that was the end of Montreal answering to ANYONE.

WHO'S THE NEXT DON?
Vito Rizzuto has few known remaining blood relatives. His son Leonardo is the family's lawyer who is currently a member in good standing of the Quebec Bar Association. Vito has several other loyal allies:
- Rocco Sollecito: Childhood friend of Vito's and reportedly one of the five heads of the crime family. The 65-year-old has been in charge of the family's construction interests. Sources tell QMI Agency that Sollecito is likely the Mafia don's strongest ally, loyal "in life and to the death."
- Francesco Arcadi: Perhaps the only other surviving member of the ruling executive. Took over family operations after Vito Rizzuto was sent to prison. Arcadi is currently serving a 15-year prison term.
- Liborio "Poncho" [BadWord]: Son of murdered Rizzuto associate Agostino [BadWord], who was killed along with his bodyguard in June 2010.

I like that thought vito in d.r. held that meeting telling all he was terminal just wanted peace and all responcible for his father and sons death killed. I think that's it, and I like that idea there under the Gambino lcn flag to cause there was never a lcn family in montreal it was bonanno's. done with massino and his rats.

@ Sonny_Black: /me chuckles
@ Carmela: I was not insinuating you personally were NY fanboy, I merely want to clarify this absurd notion that Montreal is under the Gambino's or Bonnano's. Look at pmac's post above.

People think NY or Frank Cali controlling the world are sadly mistaken.

Just four days before Vito died, I predicted he would retire in comfort many years from now, so clearly my opinions should be taken with a grain of salt. But that being said...

After the last few years in Montreal it would be rather foolish to figure that one person will step into Vito's shoes and control the family with minimal to no bloodshed. If anything can work for the current family to remain in power, a combination of a ruling panel approach and a swift and heavy hand to any detractors will be required to keep things from too much upheaval.

So who will "lead" the family now that Vito is dead? The obvious prediction, made by both the posters here and to a lesser degree in the Canadian media is Rocco Sollecito. He is the only member of the old ruling panel to still be living/on the streets. But the problem with this idea is two fold. For one, Rocco is still on probation, and has already been re-incarcerated since his release from prison due to probation violations related to Mafia affiliation. The police are as well aware as anyone about the possibility of his taking control, thus causing any reign to be short lived. Problem two with Rocco is the fact that of the old panel, he has the least violent tendencies, having never been charged with a violent crime, and having never been confidently linked to any murders. This weak handed approach could prove devastating when faced with serious opposition.

So who should be the figure head of this ruling panel? If I had to predict I would say it's Domenico Manno. Although old, he has a wealth of experience, he's married into the Rizzuto family and is thus about the only remaining person in the Rizzuto family with serious credentials. He's not afraid to use violence, as he spent time in prison for the Paolo Violi murder, and is not on any kind of Canadian probation. Possibly most beneficial is the fact that his son/grandson (not sure which) Robert (Bobby) Manno is a Mafia affiliate/member, and can be used as a more physical street presence in lieu of the elderly Domenico.

As for the other members of the ruling panel, Rocco will most certainly have an influence, and even more likely will be the increased presence of his sons Stefano, Mario, and Giuseppe. Stefano was a close confidant to Vito in his last year of life which should further ease the transition to power. Another key thing to remember is that Francesco Arcadi, Francesco Del Balso, and Lorenzo Giordano are all eligible for release in 2014, and assuming they make parole, you can expect them all to join the ruling panel and greatly increase the power of the family. Other possible panel members with a strong relationship to the former family head are Liborio [BadWord] (Son of murdered street boss Agostino), Paolo [BadWord], Giovanni DiMora (Brother in law of Agostino Cun-trera and another man convicted in the Violi murder), Calogero Renda (Son of Paolo), Stefano Arcadi (Brother of Francesco), and longtime mafioso Tony Mucci.

Other longtime Rizzuto allies to consider: Emanuele Ragusa, Frank Martorana, Pietro “Peter” Scarcella, Sabatino Nicolucci, and Pierino Divito. (The last three having all been released from long prison sentences in the past couple years.)

Sorry for the long post, and again this is all highly speculative, just my two cents on the line of succession.

Well you got that right. I always say people on these boards totally over-exaggerate him.

You're blowing it way out of proportion. Not ONE person on this board stated that Cali was running Montreal, someone from the Real Deal forum did! Then you jump out and talk about fanboys like there's loads on here when there isn't one, female behavior.

Exactly. And just for the record, no one on the Real Deal forum said that Cali controlled the world as well. It's thought that he's been acting as an ambassador for different Mafia families, particulary those of Sicilian origin. And I do think that he's been acting as an intermediary between the Sicilians in Canada and the Gambinos and Bonannos in New York.

I was just reading about this in the toronto sun and some1made a comment that the coroner passed on the autopsy saying its not necessary.if thats true it has to make u wonder if he was poisoned to

Spot on pal.

Unless I can't read English, the quote posted by 'Strax' from the real deal states Montreal is now 'UNDER' the Gambino's.
So 'just for the record' that's PRECISELY what they're saying.

And until there is a thread of evidence to support this, it's a baseless call and I've every right to call bullshit, as rumours fly around this place more than the watercooler at a national secretaries conference.

I got the Gambino brothers mixed up. I was talking about Joe Gambino who is a Mafioso from Sicily. John Gambino is a Capo in the Gambino crime family. Sorry for the mix up.

I think a lot of people are claiming that New York's Gambino and Bonanno crime families are calling the shots in Montreal is due to Frank Cali of the Gambino crime family, and Salvatore Catalano of the Bonanno crime family are acting like as intermediary to Montreal and Sicily. Montreal is still in control by the Sicilians.

There is about half a billion dollars worth of drugs in Montreal every year and about a quarter of a billion dollars in other rackets every year. The Sicilians are not going to give that up. They are losing money right now and want things to calm down fast.

The top contender for taking over the Rizzuto crime family in my honest opinion is Rocco Sollecito, but like I have said, even the top contenders are never a sure thing. ForgettableName made an excellent post above about the Rizzuto family power structure.

I find it funny folks will say Montreal is "under" anyone. Actually that is flat out laughable. Rizzuto doesn't answer to any of the N.Y. families period. I'm sure he has dealt with a few lately but they are not under anyone so please quit with it!

Who knows who Vito wanted to be the man. I totally forgot about Ragusa, he is another old schooler up there that holds some power. That name hasn't been tossed around much lately.

John, joe, and rosario gambino are all from sicily, but both john and joe are both made in the gambino family, while rosario is the only one of the three brothers who were made in sicily.

Thank you Dellacroce. I thought two of the brothers were made in Sicily.

Ya, im not 100%, but im pretty sure only rosario was made in sicily. Rosario was in charge of the "cherry hill gambinos" in new jersey, selling herion, who were apart of the sicilian mafia, while joe and john operated out of Brooklyn under the gambino family.

Is it fair to say that Vito Rizzuto was arguably the most powerful and wealthiest boss over the last 25 years?

First time poster but I have been a long time lurker.

Just wanted to join in on this conversation considering that the Montreal mob scene (Canada's mob scene in general) has been the most fascinating we've seen in a very long time.

The death of Vito was certainly sudden and shocking to many considering his power, but we need to remember that this is a 67 year old that was ill. So when you take a step back and realize life in general, it's not very shocking, still, it's interesting to speculate giving what is presented to us.

Some say that it seems unusual how an autopsy was shrugged off like that, I too was confused and was thinking that perhaps they wanted to cover up Vito's real death? But then again what would the motive be to cover up the reason of his death? Is it a pride thing? If his enemies wanted to take pride in his death (Assuming they killed him), they would make it known to everyone that he's killed. I doubt Vito was poisoned, I think the autopsy was avoided because the cause of death was probably obvious in the hospital, you have a 67 year old man who has been fighting lung cancer and he was just brought in for pneumonia (Which on its own I'm sure can be deadly to the elderly). So they felt there was no reason for it considering the obvious reason. But for the sake of the other opinion, if he was poisoned, I think the ones who did it were very close to him.

As far as who takes over, that's very difficult to answer, one thing for sure, Vito left his organization is a very favorable position in Montreal by taking out some of the biggest figures from the opposing faction. If his family plays their card right, they will remain on top. For me, it will come down to whether the new leadership is respected by everyone within the organization or not. If so, then the transition will be smoother. Some people have mentioned obvious names such as Arcadi or Sollecito which are high ranking members in the organization, but how well are these guys respected internationally? Remember that when one speaks of Vito, we're talking about arguably the most powerful Italian don outside of Italy, you don't replace a guy like that very easily.

You're quite amusing and this really is a lame attempt to troll. Let me explain it to you nevertheless. I said that no has said that 'Cali controlled the world'. I did not say that no one has said that 'the Gambinos control Montreal'. Also, Cali is the underboss of the Gambinos, so if the Gambinos control something, it means that their boss, Domenic Cefalu, controls something, not Cali. Ofcourse, based on your imagination Montreal equals the world, so I guess I understand your point of view..



Ragusa is in his seventies and has been in prison for many years, being released on parole less than a decade ago. Based on these facts I very much doubt he would be interested in the top spot. If I had to guess I'd say he's retiring. The same goes for Vincenzo Di Maulo. In fact, they were sent to prison in the same trial and were released at about the same time.

@Sonny_Black: I honestly can't see why my point is so hard to understand. I'll attempt to clarify.

ALL I'm saying is that Montreal is neither under Bonnano control and that there is ZERO evidence that it is under Gambino control.

I posted such to quell any rumours which may start from Strax's quote from the RD.

It is simply baseless speculation from NY posters who think the world revolves around them. And that if Montreal is not under Bonnano control they simply must be under another NY families command because the thought of independence is apparently inconceivable.

What is so terribly hard about that. There is no trolling but simple logic. I do not think Montreal is the centre of the universe and nor do I think it's under any NY family.

I hope this clarifies my point.

I think the Montreal mob is independent now , I don't believe it's under the control of any family from New York either

I read a few of the rizzuto soldiers including Vito were made members of the bonnano family though . Will the bonnanos still not have a claim on these guys considering there made into that family ?? If there making the kind of money people r saying there making , surly the bonnanos would be after a slice of the pie ??

Whether they have a slice in the pie or not I don't know. But I doubt they have any say or power over Montreal. In fact I think the Montreal mob is stronger and bigger than any family out of NYC at the moment (Genovese included). The same goes for the Siderno group headed by the Commisso's out of Toronto.

I think these groups are more powerful because they have deep international connections and also the laws in Canada are very weak which allows them to operate in ease.

Rizzutto has 10x the reach of cali

@Domwoods:

The Bonannos may WANT a piece of the pie. But want and ability to enforce are a different thing.

The mob is about money. First and foremost. And money buys power.

The Montreal 'family' makes probably around 100 times that of which the Bonannos make annually. They control a multi multi million dollar drug pipeline of heroin and cocaine, have a monopoly on the construction industry as well as the standard extortion/protection, gambling and loan. This and with global connections.

That the Bonannos with their 80odd guys on the street (who bring in relatively irrelevant $$ in comparison and none of whom have any international connections) could even attempt to 'enforce' any tribute or subversion is simply ridiculous.

RIP Vito... so in the modern day and age where mob bosses die in jail or of unnatural causes, this brings up a question...

Does the board think that there will be another mob boss dying of natural causes while outside of prison? If so, which one?

Crea maybe. Riggi, Tocco, Difronzo, Falzone all have a good chance.

during the 1990s the Montreal crew had a total of about 20 made guys and they were all considered members of the bonnano family. according to Sal Vitale, the last time there was a tribute payment from montreal to new york was in 1999. I believe they stopped kicking up after George from Canada was murdered.