The Montreal crime family's top Bosses continued to operate fairly unmolested by law enforcement throughout the 1960's, the traditional rackets, the crime families narcotics operations, legitimate investments and control over various labor and union interests brought in millions of dollars for the the Montreal crime family Bosses, members and their allies, supporters and benefactors in New York, the Bonanno crime family Bosses like Joe Bonanno and Carmine Galante, whom they shuttled hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars annually to! Unlike other sectors of society, the old Italian mafia and it's members did not expect changes in traditional methods of conduct, operations and lifestyle and certainly did not welcome it and the 1960's would begin to bring change to the Montreal crime family! In Canada's Italian underworld of the 1960's two new rising mafia stars were making their presence and ambitions known in Montreal as two up and coming members of the crime family's Calabrian and Sicilian factions!


MONTREAL CRIME FAMILY
Part 5: TWO RISING STARS IN MONTREAL
Author: Little Joe Shots
Just as Vic Cotroni and Luigi Greco were the rising stars of Montreal's Italian underworld in the 1940's, Calabrian, Paolo Violi and Sicilian, Nicolo "Nick" Rizzuto were the next rising stars in the Montreal crime family! Both of these two Italian mafiosi had been born and raised in the traditions of the mafia and had chosen the Canadian city of Montreal as their base of operations and the place they would begin to forge their own criminal dynasties like their predecessors, Cotroni and Greco.
Vic Cotroni was the Montreal Decina Capo, the Bonanno crime family's official representative in Montreal, he was the top Boss of the Montreal crime family and leader of the Calabrian faction while Luigi Greco was the Underboss of the crime family and the leader of the Sicilian faction so it was without question that Paolo Violi and Nick Rizzuto would line up behind the mafia Bosses who originally came from their area of Italy! Paolo Violi was born in Sinopoli, Calabria in the 1930's and emigrated to the Southern Ontario area of Canada with his family in the early 1950's. His father Domenico was a member of the Calabrian mafia, he had schooled his sons, Paolo, Francesco, Antonio and twins, Giuseppe and Rocco in "The Life" before Domenico was deported from Canada in the early 1960's, his son Antonio left Canada for the United States to be with his father in Parma, Ohio while the other family members moved to Montreal. Paolo Violi aligned himself with Vic Cotroni and the Calabrian faction and by the late 1960's Violi was the leader of his own crew in Jean Talon North, Montreal's Little Italy, he and his brothers were the Bosses of the areas rackets.
Nicoso ' Nick' Rizzuto Paulo Violi
Nick Rizzuto was born in Cattolica Eraclea, Sicly in 1924 and emigrated with his family to Canada in 1954, settling in Montreal, Quebec! Rizzuto was also raised in the "Ways of the Mafia" and was intent on continuing the family tradition through his son Victor, known as Vito. Nick Rizzuto aligned himself with Luigi Greco and the Sicilian faction, Rizzuto quickly established a closely-knit crew comprised of family members, relatives and associates from his area of Sicily! Both Violi and Rizzuto became the second in command or top Lt.'s for their Bosses and benefactors under the banner or "Flag" of the Montreal crime family.