Hamilton man arrested in murder of mob figure Angelo Musitano, two others sought
All three face two counts of first-degree murder, one of attempted murder and three counts of conspiracy to commit murder
FOR MORE THAN FIVE MONTHS three Hamilton men allegedly took part in the careful planning and sophisticated surveillance that culminated in two mafia murders, including the high-profile death of Angelo Musitano, who was gunned down in his Waterdown driveway.
Jabril Hassan Abdalla, 27, was arrested at his Hamilton home around 3 p.m. Wednesday and made a brief court appearance Thursday morning. Michael Graham Cudmore, 37, of Hamilton and Daniel Mario Tomassetti, 27, of Ancaster are wanted on Canada-wide warrants.
Both wanted men fled to Cancun, Mexico, where Cudmore — who the Spectator has learned is the alleged gunman — has been reported missing and is feared dead.
All three face two counts of first-degree murder, one of attempted murder and three counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of Musitano and Mila Barberi, 28, as well as the shooting of her boyfriend, Saverio Serrano, 42.
The trio, identified by a police task force Thursday, are not believed to be the “masterminds” behind Musitano’s May 2, 2017, murder, or in the March 14, 2017, Vaughan murder of Mila Barberi. The 42-year-old Serrano, whose father Diego Serrano is connected to organized crime in York Region, is believed to have been the true target and was shot twice, but survived.
Det. Sgt. Peter Thom of the Hamilton police major crime unit said he believes he knows who the trio were working for, but wouldn’t name the individual who is “related to organized crime Hamilton GTA area.” They allegedly began planning the murders in October 2016.
“This case is about traditional organized crime, the mafia, the mob, whatever handle you
“This case is about traditional organized crime, the mafia, the mob, whatever handle you want to give it, organized crime continues to thrive in our communities.” DET. SGT. PETER THOM Major crime unit, Hamilton police
want to give it, organized crime continues to thrive in our communities. They are successful, well-structured, have a hierarchy, which insulates those higher up on the organizational ladder,” Thom said. “They are invested in diverse and lucrative ventures. Some of their businesses are legitimate, others aren’t. That’s why their organization heads drive around in armour-clad vehicles, with bodyguards, unlike the CEOs of other multinational companies.”
Yet, despite a clear link with organized crime, the exact motive for the murders remains unclear. Thom said he believe Musitano family members and associates know why he was killed, but they are not co-operating with police.
The investigation reveals a complex web of organized crime operating in the Hamilton and Greater Toronto Area. The arrest and warrants are also the culmination of an equally complex police investigation, which Hamilton police declared a “success” on Thursday. The investigations, which remain ongoing, drew together police from Hamilton, York Region and RCMP, who were assisted by Niagara police and Canada Border Services Agency, and in the United States the FBI, DEA and Homeland Security.
The investigation involved more than 150 judicial authorizations, including search warrants executed in February 2018 at the homes of Abdalla and Tomassetti. Police painstakingly went through thousands of hours of surveillance video and communicated with police in Mexico. It was Hamilton police, working with RCMP in the early days of the investigation, who identified the trio as likely being involved in Musitano’s murder. Then, in September 2017, the case was connected with the Barberi homicide, leading to the establishment of a multi-jurisdictional case overseen by Toronto Insp. Pauline Gray. Det. Sgt. Jim Kilby of York Regional police said Thursday that his officers didn’t know the identities of the men captured on surveillance in the Vaughan murder until after the multi-agency investigation was formed.
It was dubbed Project SCOPA (an Italian card game and also the word for broom).
“Sadly our investigation has done little and will not provide the Barberi family with closure,” Kilby said.
Barberi did not know she was in danger and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Abdalla briefly appeared in Hamilton court Thursday morning, for less than five minutes. He was brought in wearing shackles, a grey hoodie and maroon sweatpants. He is bald and on the shorter side. He seemed calm and co-operative. Extra security and curious lawyers were also in the courtroom.
Abdalla looked across the courtroom and nodded to a woman and two men who identified themselves outside the courtroom as members of his family. The woman was emotional in the court and one of the men had his arm around her, comforting her. The family politely declined to speak to The Spectator. Likewise, Abdalla’s lawyer, Jordan Casey, declined comment.
A publication ban was placed on the Abdalla case, preventing the reporting of any evidence. Abdalla was also handed a nocontact order with a long list of names being read into the court record of those people he cannot have any contact with.
The Musitanos have a long history in Hamilton, including Angelo (Ang) and his older brother, reputed family boss Pasquale (Pat) Musitano, being accused in 1997 of taking out mob boss Johnny (Pops) Papalia. They were charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to conspiracy
to commit murder in the shooting death of Niagara crime boss Carmen Barillaro, Papalia's lieutenant. They were released from prison in October 2006.
After prison, the Musitanos remained largely off the radar until Angelo’s murder. After his death, some friends came forward to say he had turned his life around and had become religious. He was a co-owner of a chain of now-closed Mexican restaurants and was also involved in the construction business. He was married with three young boys.
Less than two months after Angelo’s murder, Pat’s St. Clair Boulevard home was sprayed with bullets on June 27. That case remains unsolved, but is part of a resurgence of mob violence in the area police are watching.
“It definitely appears to us, although we don’t know the exact motive, there seems to be some kind of power struggle,” Thom said.
Just last week, on Sept. 13, Albert Iavarone, a real estate agent and entrepreneur, was killed outside his Ancaster home
— in the same manner as Musitano — by a shooter who hid in the bushes. The 50-year-old did not have a criminal record, but he knew people involved in organized crime.
On Thursday, Thom revealed that Iavarone knew Angelo Musitano, two of the accused murderers and one person of interest in the Musitano case.
“I’m not saying that the two cases are connected, it’s something that we’re very interested in following up on,” he said.
The timing of the arrest a week after Iavarone’s murder is “purely coincidental.”
Police also revealed a fourth “person of interest” in the murders. Daniele Ranieri, a mobster who fled to Cancun in 2015 to escape York police, was found “bound and executed” in a ditch in March of this year, Thom said.
Cudmore flew to Cancun to join Ranieri — who went by the name Diego Ramirez Diaz in Mexico — on May 20, 2017. He had been keeping regular contact with family before Ranieri’s murder, but has not been heard from since then.
Family, concerned for his safety, have reported him missing.
Tomassetti fled to Cancun separately on Jan. 27 of this year, only four days after police held a news conference announcing the joint task force. Tomassetti, who owns a travel agency called Wave Travel, is believed to have connections in Mexico, Thom said. He has not been reported missing.
He was on police radar at the time and police made the “investigative decision” to let him go to Mexico. “At the time it was the right decision and we stand by that,” Thom said Thursday.
Abdalla is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. by video.
Police will be seeking to have the other two warrants endorsed internationally and will reach out to Interpol for assistance.
Police also warned that anyone who assists the accused will be charged with accessory after the fact to murder.