Don Vito Rizzuto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 February 1946 Cattolica Eraclea, Sicily, Italy |
| Died | 23 December 2013 (aged 67) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Resting place | Saint-François d'Assise cemetery, Saint-Leonard, Quebec |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Other names | "Montreal's Teflon Don" |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Occupation | Crime boss |
| Spouse |
Giovanna Cammalleri (m. 1966) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Nicolo Rizzuto Libertina Manno |
| Relatives | Paolo Renda (brother-in-law) |
| Allegiance | Rizzuto crime family |
| Conviction(s) | Conspiracy to commit arson (1972) Conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering (2007) |
| Criminal penalty | Two years' imprisonment; served 18 months 10 years' imprisonment and fined $250,000; served five years |
Vito Rizzuto (Italian: [ˈviːto ritˈtsuːto]; 21 February 1946 – 23 December 2013), also known as "Montreal's Teflon Don",[1] was an Italian-Canadian crime boss alleged to be the leader of the Sicilian Mafia in Canada. He headed the notorious Rizzuto crime family based in Montreal, Quebec.
Rizzuto was born in Cattolica Eraclea, Sicily, Italy in 1946 and immigrated to Montreal with his parents in 1954. His father Nicolo married into the mob, and later started his own crime syndicate in Montreal after overtaking the Cotroni crime family in the late 1970s. He had several run-ins with the law but was able to avoid conviction for any major offenses until 2004.
In 1981, Rizzuto participated in the killing of three rival capos in New York City ordered by Joe Massino of the Bonanno crime family, and he was indicted by a Brooklyn federal grand jury in connection with these killings in 2004. He was extradited to the United States in 2006, and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering charges in 2007. He was given a 10-year prison sentence, but was released in late 2012. The Rizzuto crime family had been in the midst of a power struggle while Rizzuto was incarcerated; his son Nicolo Jr. was killed in 2009, and his father killed in 2010. Rizzuto died shortly after on December 23, 2013, due to complications from pneumonia, which may have been induced by lung cancer.
- ^ "Canadian crime boss Vito Rizzuto to get early release from U.S. jail". theglobeandmail.com. September 25, 2012. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2018.