Charges withdrawn against Commisso
Case part of ‘Project Briscola’ investigated by U.S., Canada and Australia police forces
The Crown has withdrawn charges relating to a multinational organized crime investigation against longtime Vaughan resident Cosimo Commisso.
Commisso, 72, was charged in September with possession of proceeds of crime following “Project Briscola,” which drew together investigators from Canada, the United States and Australia.
The charge was dropped before the case reached trial after the Crown concluded there was no reasonable chance of conviction.
Eleven others remain charged in the case, which is still in the preliminary stages.
Commisso declined to comment directly on Monday but his lawyer, Peter Brauti, said there was never a case against his client.
“Mr. Commisso did absolutely nothing wrong and has always maintained his innocence,” Brauti said in a prepared statement.
“His position is supported by the fact that the Crown withdrew the charges against him at the very early stages of the prosecution,” he said.
Police said the case involves fraud against lenders, who were defrauded of $11 million by individuals who falsely presented themselves as officers of a business that was seeking to borrow money to expand.
Police said the case involved money flowing across Canada into Brazil and the Seychelles.