Paolo Violi
Encyclopedia
Paolo Violi was an Italian-Canadian
mobster and longtime underboss
of the Bonanno crime family
's faction in Montreal
, the Cotroni crime family. The Violi and Cotroni families were from Calabria
while the Rizzuto crime family
, like the Bonannos, were from Sicily
. This led to tension between Nicolo Rizzuto
, an associate of Cotroni in Montreal, and the Violis, who were vying for control of the city's Mafia controlled drug market.
Violi mistakenly allowed his house to be bugged by the Quebec Provincial Police. In retaliation, the Bonanno family sanctioned his assassination in Montreal.
A mob war in Montreal began with the murder of Pietro Sciara on Valentine's Day in 1976. Sciara was considered to be then mob boss Paolo Violi's consigliere
and his body was left in the street after seeing the movie The Godfather II with his wife. On Feb. 8, 1977, two men murdered Francesco Violi, the younger brother of Paolo, in the family business. The family enforcer, his body was mutilated by several shotgun and pistol wounds. Paolo Violi was shot in the head at close range with a shotgun on January 22, 1978, in his cafe. The war ended on Oct. 17, 1980, when Rocco Violi, the last of the Violi brothers, was seated, for a family meal, at his kitchen table in his Montreal home when a single bullet from a sniper's rifle struck him dead. The Rizzuto organization subsequently took over Montreal.
Italian-Canadian
An Italian Canadian is a Canadian of Italian descent or heritage. According to the 2006 census of Canada, 1,445,335 Canadians consider themselves to be of Italian origin. The Italian-Canadian population climbed by more than 12% and half have combined Italian origins along with another ethnic...
mobster and longtime underboss
Underboss
Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...
of the Bonanno crime family
Bonanno crime family
The Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
's faction in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, the Cotroni crime family. The Violi and Cotroni families were from Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
while the Rizzuto crime family
Rizzuto crime family
The Rizzuto family is a Mafia organization based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The family territory covers most of southern Quebec and Ontario. The FBI considers the family connected to the Bonanno family, but the Canadian law enforcement considers it a separate crime family...
, like the Bonannos, were from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. This led to tension between Nicolo Rizzuto
Nicolo Rizzuto
Nicolo Rizzuto , also known as Nick Rizzuto, was the crime boss of the Sicilian faction of the Italian Mafia in Montreal who later pushed out the Calabrian Cotroni family. Rizzuto was born in Cattolica Eraclea, Sicily, in 1924, and immigrated to Canada in 1954 when the family settled in Montreal...
, an associate of Cotroni in Montreal, and the Violis, who were vying for control of the city's Mafia controlled drug market.
Violi mistakenly allowed his house to be bugged by the Quebec Provincial Police. In retaliation, the Bonanno family sanctioned his assassination in Montreal.
A mob war in Montreal began with the murder of Pietro Sciara on Valentine's Day in 1976. Sciara was considered to be then mob boss Paolo Violi's consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
and his body was left in the street after seeing the movie The Godfather II with his wife. On Feb. 8, 1977, two men murdered Francesco Violi, the younger brother of Paolo, in the family business. The family enforcer, his body was mutilated by several shotgun and pistol wounds. Paolo Violi was shot in the head at close range with a shotgun on January 22, 1978, in his cafe. The war ended on Oct. 17, 1980, when Rocco Violi, the last of the Violi brothers, was seated, for a family meal, at his kitchen table in his Montreal home when a single bullet from a sniper's rifle struck him dead. The Rizzuto organization subsequently took over Montreal.