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The Montreal Gazette features an extensive report on the Montreal Mafia with a focus on what it calls the “bar of gold” to “fool’s gold” and the downfall of Mob defense attorney Gerardo Nicolo, 48.
Sources revealed the Montreal Mafia “had created a fund of several million dollars that would serve to prepare their defence as well as to pay certain police officers” to provide false testimony in court, according to a summary of evidence filed in Nicolo’s case.
On Wednesday, the Montreal defense attorney appeared in court to begin the sentencing stage of his case with allegations that he tried to bribe an RCMP officer to leak certain information to the Montreal Mafia and its late leader Giuseppe De Vito.
An RCMP-led investigation dubbed Project Colisée resulted in the arrest of six leaders of the Rizzuto organization as well as dozens of Mafia associates including De Vito, who passed away in 2013. The Rizzuto Crime Family dabbled in everything from drug trafficking, gambling, murder, loan Sharking, extortion to racketeering. A decades long probe of De Vito revealed that some officers were indeed working for him. This resulted in the surveillance of attorney Nicolo.
From the Montreal Gazette:
His routine includes dropping off his son at Collège Regina Assumpta in Ahuntsic and working out in a gym at the private school. The RCMP dispatch an undercover agent to pose as a disgruntled Mountie from Moncton, N.B., who landed into trouble for using a police database to look up a license plate without authorization.
The undercover agent begins to work out at the same gym in clothes with RCMP logos.
Jan. 22, 2008 In the changing room, Nicolo strikes up a conversation with the undercover cop after noticing the RCMP logo on his gym bag. The agent reveals he was recently transferred from Moncton to work drug trafficking cases in Montreal. Nicolo introduces himself as a defence lawyer with clients arrested in Project Colisée.
He also mentions he recently worked for Angleo Cecere, a civilian employee who translated wiretaps for the RCMP and was arrested for leaking documents to Di Marco. Nicolo says Cecere acted alone and “his financial security was assured by De Vito.”
April 2, 2008 Nicolo and the undercover agent agree to meet at the Montreal courthouse. The agent pretends to be upset about how the RCMP are treating him. Nicolo suggests he has two choices: send a letter to Ottawa asking that RCMP management get off his case — or “begin giving information to the (Montreal Mafia).”
Ultimately the undercover agent tells Nicolo he is interested in his offer whereby Nicolo clarifies that, “to get paid, the agent must supply information pertaining to De Vito, Di Marco and four Montreal-area bars”.
Read more on the fall of Gerardo Nicolo here.
- Allejandro Botticelli, Gambling911.com
