Mafia boss carried wiretap to Canada
DOCUMENTS SHED LIGHT ON ‘UNBREAKABLE’ UNDERWORLD NETWORK
As an accused Mafia boss visiting Canada from Italy met with alleged mobsters here in April, he warned them to be careful what they said because Canadian police might be listening. He should have looked more inwardly.
What was really happening, the National Post can reveal, was that the visitor’s smartphone was unwittingly and secretly transmitting his closed-doors conversations to authorities in Italy.
On Friday, Italy’s Polizia di Stato issued 16 fresh arrest warrants on top of 12 already stemming from the trip to the Toronto area — and half of the people listed currently live in Canada or were born here.
The internal summaries of the police investigation, including excerpts from recorded wiretapped conversation in and around Toronto, were recently filed in court in Italy to support arrest warrants and have not yet been tested at a trial.
The documents add further evidence to what Italian authorities call an “unbreakable umbilical cord” between the underworld in both countries.
The latest arrests in Italy were code-named “Operazione Canadian ‘Ndrangheta Connection 2,” using the proper name of the Mafia that formed in Calabria, in Italy’s south.
Vincenzo Muià, who was among those arrested in Italy, arrived at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on March 31, with his cousin, Giuseppe Gregoraci, who was also arrested. They each travelled with a son, neither of whom was charged.
The visitors were picked up at the airport, according to documents prepared by investigators in Italy and filed in court, by Luigi Vescio and driven away in two vehicles, both registered to Fratelli Vescio Funeral Homes in Vaughan, Ont. Vescio is listed as a principal of the family owned funeral home.
Vescio could not immediately be reached for comment prior to deadline.
Police tracked their movements, a task made easier by the serendipity that while Italian police were interested in Muià, York Regional Police were in the thick of an ambitious investigation targeting alleged Mafia bosses in Canada who Muià came to meet with.
During his meetings, Muià warned of the need to be cautious about what they said, not only in their houses but even on the street, because police in Italy use directional microphones that record conversations by pointing at the targets.
“Even outside they hear you,” Muià said. “You put the directional and hear what you say.”
A man he was speaking with said people here are careful about what they say; they speak of “what the lawyers say,” adding: “We are always careful not to say other,” according to a transcript translated from Italian.
“Yes, OK, if you talk about these things it’s not a problem,” Muià said. “Otherwise, it’s a f--king problem.”
Muià was correct, their conversations were being listened to and recorded by police, but it wasn’t always because of Canadian police wiretaps (although some were in operation at the time.)
His conversations were picked up and transmitted through the cellphone Muià carried to his meetings, according to court documents.
York police and the Polizia di Stato, a federal police force in Italy, had a “direct collaboration,” with both of them watching and listening to various suspects, according to the documents.
Muià said he came to Canada for only one thing, to meet with Angelo and Cosimo Figliomeni, two alleged leaders within the ‘Ndrangheta who left Siderno, a town in Calabria, Italy, for Canada when they faced Mafia association charges. Here, authorities allege, their underworld influence is considerable.
Muià sought answers to a gnawing question: Who had ambushed and killed his brother, Carmelo Muià, known as “Mino,” who was shot dead in Siderno on Jan. 18, 2018.
After meeting with Angelo and Cosimo Figliomeni, according to the allegations by Italian police, Muià was ready to go back home, figuring he had learned all he could here.
The men living in Canada were not arrested and taken into custody as they are not in Italy. They all face charges of Mafia association. Because Mafia association is not a crime in Canada, it is not an extraditable offence, meaning the charges facing them in Italy will likely have little impact unless they travel abroad or face immigration problems.
Two of those charged in Italy on Friday both live in Canada and were born here: Giuseppe DeMaria, 56, known as “Joe,” is the brother of alleged Mafia boss Vincenzo (Jimmy) DeMaria, who has long been named as a senior ‘Ndrangheta figure in Canada and is currently in prison here. The other is Vescio.
Those wanted in Italy and residing in Canada are:
Rocco Remo Commisso, 73, named as a leading mob figure in the Toronto area. He was convicted in 1981 of three counts of conspiracy to commit murder and, in 1984, for involvement in a fatal bombing.
Francesco Commisso, 62, known “The Chosen,” who is an alleged senior leader of the group.
Angelo Figliomeni, 56, also known as “Angelino,” who was arrested last month by York Region police, is alleged to be the head of the Mafia clan here.
Cosimo Figliomeni, 54, also known as “Cosimino,” who is Angelo Figliomeni’s brother.
Antonio Figliomeni, 57, known as “’Ntoni e fredu”.
Michele Carabetta, 61, who was also named in last month’s warrants in Italy.