Rizzuto crime family ‘effectively decapitated' after arrests, Mafia expert says

Montreal Gazette

a day ago

Montreal Crime
The alleged leaders of the Rizzuto crime family have been arrested in a sweeping police operation that one expert says has 'effectively decapitated' what remains of Montreal's most notorious Mafia clan.
Leonardo Rizzuto, 56, and Stefano Sollecito, 57, were among 11 suspects taken into custody on Thursday with another five sought as part of Project Alliance, a three-year investigation into organized crime in Quebec.
Rizzuto — the son of the late mob boss Vito Rizzuto — appeared in court by video, where his lawyer entered a not guilty plea. Sollecito, who appeared frail and in a wheelchair, remains in custody. The charges against the men relate to a series of killings between 2011 and 2021.
The arrests followed co-ordinated raids by nearly 150 officers across Montreal, Laval, Quebec City and nearby regions. Also detained were Nicola Spagnolo, Davide Barberio and Jean-Richard Larivière, a longtime member of the Hells Angels.
Antonio Nicaso, an expert on organized crime and a professor at Queen's University, called the arrests a serious setback for the Rizzuto network.
'It is a devastating blow that effectively decapitates the leadership of the Rizzuto crime family, an organization that for some years now has lost the power it once held in Montreal,' Nicaso told The Gazette.
Criminologist Maria Mourani said the operation reflects the importance of the targets.
'We see several very important members of the Italian Mafia in Montreal who are being targeted,' she said. 'This is good news.'
She said it remains to be seen what happens, but the arrests may bring about a possible 'slight destabilization' of Montreal's criminal landscape.
'Every time there are police operations, there are individuals who will replace other individuals,' Mourani said. 'You can expect that some groups will try to take the dishes.'
This is the third major operation targeting the Rizzuto network in less than two decades, following Project Colisée in 2006 and Project Magot-Mastiff in 2015. The latter collapsed after allegations of police misconduct, and charges were dropped.
Authorities say the latest probe is notable for its murder charges. Though police did not confirm it on Thursday, the probe was largely built on information from Frédérick Silva, a convicted hit man now serving multiple life sentences.
Several search warrants related to the current investigation were carried out during December 2023. Back then, the Sûreté du Québec said in a statement the search warrants were 'part of a major criminal investigation, which aims to elucidate several murders linked to organized crime that occurred in Montreal and (north of Montreal) from the middle of the 1990s until today. Certain individuals associated with notorious groups such as the Italian Mafia, the Hells Angels and criminalized street gangs are targeted by the investigation.'
On Thursday, Mourani said there is no sole leader in Quebec's organized crime but instead there are just 'different groups and families.'
The Sicilian-rooted Rizzuto family once dominated Montreal's underworld, but its influence has since waned.
'Will these individuals be convicted? Will they stay off the streets?' Mourani said. 'We'll have to watch closely.'
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 4:05 PM.