The body of an alleged Mafia boss, who U.S. authorities said once led New York's notorious Bonanno crime family, was fished out from a river north of Montreal on Thursday.
Reports identified the body as Salvatore Montagna, although police wouldn't immediately confirm or deny the identity.
The FBI once called him the acting boss of the Bonanno crime family — prompting one of New York's tabloids to call him the "Bambino Boss" because of his rise to power in his mid-30s. Nicknamed "Sal The Iron Worker," he owned and operated a successful steel business in the U.S.
Montagna's death is the latest in a series of Mafia-related killings and disappearances over the last two years. He was considered a contender to take over the decimated Rizzuto family.
A provincial police spokesman said Thursday that a private citizen called after seeing a body along the shores of the L'Assomption River. The same person also reported that he heard gunshots, but Sgt. Benoit Richard said he couldn't confirm how the victim died. "When (police) arrived, they saw a man lying near the river, they took him out of the water and started doing CPR with the help of the emergency personnel," Richard said.
Richard said police will await the results of an autopsy, scheduled for Friday, to determine the cause of death.
Montagna was born in Montreal but raised in Sicily and, although he moved to the United States at 15, he never obtained U.S. citizenship.
The married father of three was deported to Canada from the United States in 2009 because of a conviction for refusing to testify before a grand jury on illegal gambling.
He pled guilty to the minor charge, but it made him ineligible to stay in the U.S. Montagna had no criminal record in Canada and re-entered without trouble.
His arrival in Montreal occurred just months before members of the Rizzuto family began being killed.
The FBI had called Montagna the acting boss of the Bonanno crime family, an allegation his lawyer denied.
The Bonanno crime family is one of the five largest Mafia families in New York — one of the notorious criminal gangs that formed the original Commission, along with Al Capone and Lucky Luciano.
There had been speculation that Montagna had been part of the new Mafia leadership in Montreal and was trying to reorganize the leaderless group.
His death comes just two months after another man with Mafia ties, Raynald Desjardins, narrowly escaped death in a shooting in a suburb north of Montreal. Desjardins had close ties to Vito Rizzuto, the reputed head of the Montreal Mafia who is currently imprisoned in the United States.
A rash of killings and disappearances in late 2009 and early 2010 decimated the operation and have robbed him of many of his closest family members. Rizzuto's father and son were gunned down, as were other friends, while his brother-in-law simply vanished.
Montagna became the latest name on the list.
Thanks to Yahoo
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
If You Like The Sopranos: Here Are Over 150 Movies, TV Shows, and Other Oddities That You Will Love by Leonard Pierce
Of all the classic takes on the Mob, be them in the movies or on television - The Sopranos holds a special place. The show revolutionized both the way the Mafia is presented, and the very nature of TV itself. If You Like The Sopranos: Here Are Over 150 Movies, TV Shows, and Other Oddities That You Will Love (If You Like Series)
is part of the If You Like series from Limelight Books. As the title suggests, this is book contains a number various films and shows that fans of The Sopranos may be interested in.
That description is the short version of what this book is all about. What If You Like The Sopranos really provides is something of a timeline, which traces the evolution of the media’s treatment of the Mafa through the twentieth century and beyond. We begin with the early movies such as Little Caesar (1931) and the original Scarface (1932). Author Leonard Pierce draws the parallels between Tony Soprano, and the characters played by Edward G. Robinson, and James Cagney in these pre-Code films.
The rise of Film Noir is next discussed, and as Pierce points out, the show had plenty of Noir-ish moments - especially in the dream sequences. The code of an outlaw family was the next big development, played out in movies such as Bonnie and Clyde (1967), and of course The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), not to mention GoodFellas (1990).
The developments in television are also scrutinized, from the obvious The Untouchables, to the rise of the nighttime soaps. The rise of the running “story-arc” of such hits as Dallas and Dynasty in the eighties was a huge factor in establishing the format of The Sopranos. Perhaps most importantly was the development of HBO itself, without which - a series like The Sopranos would never have existed. As Pierce sees it, a perfect storm came together to spawn the show, and the timing of the debut in 1999 could not have been better.
After a discussion of The Sopranos itself, Pierce goes on to explore serial television post-Tony. These include such critical favorites as Deadwood, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. The final chapter is titled “Welcome To America: Crime Drama For A New Millennium.” This intriguing section concerns other media, such as games (Grand Theft Auto), music (A Prince Among Theives by Prince Paul) and even books (the Underworld USA trilogy by James Ellroy).
As advertised, If You Like The Sopranos talks about a great number of films and TV shows (for the most part) that fans of the program should find interesting. There is a lot of good information packed into this relatively concise book.
Thanks to Greg Barbrick
is part of the If You Like series from Limelight Books. As the title suggests, this is book contains a number various films and shows that fans of The Sopranos may be interested in.That description is the short version of what this book is all about. What If You Like The Sopranos really provides is something of a timeline, which traces the evolution of the media’s treatment of the Mafa through the twentieth century and beyond. We begin with the early movies such as Little Caesar (1931) and the original Scarface (1932). Author Leonard Pierce draws the parallels between Tony Soprano, and the characters played by Edward G. Robinson, and James Cagney in these pre-Code films.
The rise of Film Noir is next discussed, and as Pierce points out, the show had plenty of Noir-ish moments - especially in the dream sequences. The code of an outlaw family was the next big development, played out in movies such as Bonnie and Clyde (1967), and of course The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), not to mention GoodFellas (1990).
The developments in television are also scrutinized, from the obvious The Untouchables, to the rise of the nighttime soaps. The rise of the running “story-arc” of such hits as Dallas and Dynasty in the eighties was a huge factor in establishing the format of The Sopranos. Perhaps most importantly was the development of HBO itself, without which - a series like The Sopranos would never have existed. As Pierce sees it, a perfect storm came together to spawn the show, and the timing of the debut in 1999 could not have been better.
After a discussion of The Sopranos itself, Pierce goes on to explore serial television post-Tony. These include such critical favorites as Deadwood, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. The final chapter is titled “Welcome To America: Crime Drama For A New Millennium.” This intriguing section concerns other media, such as games (Grand Theft Auto), music (A Prince Among Theives by Prince Paul) and even books (the Underworld USA trilogy by James Ellroy).
As advertised, If You Like The Sopranos talks about a great number of films and TV shows (for the most part) that fans of the program should find interesting. There is a lot of good information packed into this relatively concise book.
Thanks to Greg Barbrick
Monday, November 21, 2011
Mafia Rico Laws Could be Used Against Cyber Rings Next
The set of laws that has allowed federal prosecutors to bring down traditional organized crime gangs should be applied to international cyber crime rings, a top Department of Justice official told a congressional committee on Nov. 15.
The recommendation was one of several DoJ Deputy Section Chief Richard Downing said should be made to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security hearing on cyber security’s new frontiers. The committee is considering updating the law.
Downing said the CFAA should be modified to allow offenses to be subject to Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) statutes. RICO extends penalties for crimes performed by organizations and allows the leaders of organized crime groups to be tried for the crimes they order subordinates to do.
The move, said Downing, is needed because advancing computer technology has become a substantial tool for organized crime. Downing said “criminal organizations are operating today around the world to: hack into public and private computer systems, including systems key to national security and defense; hijack computers for the purpose of stealing identity and financial information; extort lawful businesses with threats to disrupt computers; and commit a range of other cyber crimes.” The organizations, he added, are closely tied to traditional Asian and Eastern European crime organizations.
Downing said RICO has been used successfully over the years to bring down “mob bosses to Hells Angels to insider traders” and would be effective in the fight against organized cyber criminals.
Downing also recommended the CFAA’s complex sentencing provisions be streamlined and simplified and some maximum sentences be increased to reflect the severity of some cyber crimes.
Prosecutors should also be given more latitude in pursuing the theft of passwords, user names and login credentials. Downing proposed that CFAA not only cover password theft, but other authentication methods, including those that confirm a user’s identity, using biometric data, single-use passcodes or smart cards. It should also cover login credentials used to access to any “protected” computer (defined in the statute quite broadly), not just government systems or computers at financial institutions, he said.
Thanks to Mark Rockwell
The recommendation was one of several DoJ Deputy Section Chief Richard Downing said should be made to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security hearing on cyber security’s new frontiers. The committee is considering updating the law.
Downing said the CFAA should be modified to allow offenses to be subject to Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) statutes. RICO extends penalties for crimes performed by organizations and allows the leaders of organized crime groups to be tried for the crimes they order subordinates to do.
The move, said Downing, is needed because advancing computer technology has become a substantial tool for organized crime. Downing said “criminal organizations are operating today around the world to: hack into public and private computer systems, including systems key to national security and defense; hijack computers for the purpose of stealing identity and financial information; extort lawful businesses with threats to disrupt computers; and commit a range of other cyber crimes.” The organizations, he added, are closely tied to traditional Asian and Eastern European crime organizations.
Downing said RICO has been used successfully over the years to bring down “mob bosses to Hells Angels to insider traders” and would be effective in the fight against organized cyber criminals.
Downing also recommended the CFAA’s complex sentencing provisions be streamlined and simplified and some maximum sentences be increased to reflect the severity of some cyber crimes.
Prosecutors should also be given more latitude in pursuing the theft of passwords, user names and login credentials. Downing proposed that CFAA not only cover password theft, but other authentication methods, including those that confirm a user’s identity, using biometric data, single-use passcodes or smart cards. It should also cover login credentials used to access to any “protected” computer (defined in the statute quite broadly), not just government systems or computers at financial institutions, he said.
Thanks to Mark Rockwell
Sunday, November 20, 2011
David Schwimmer Joins Cast of Movie About Mob Killer Richard 'The Iceman' Kuklinski
Former 'Friends' star David Schwimmer is all set to play a mafia contract killer in new film about Richard 'The Iceman' Kuklinski.
The 45-year-old, who played nice guy Ross Geller in the hit sitcom, will portray Jack Rosethal opposite Ray Liotta's Mafia's boss in the film.
The titular character will be played by 'Revolutionary Road' star Michael Shannon, reported Ace Showbiz.
Kuklinski claimed to have killed more than 250 people between 1948 and 1986.
'Crazy Heart' actress Maggie Gyllenhaal will also be a part of the film.
The 45-year-old, who played nice guy Ross Geller in the hit sitcom, will portray Jack Rosethal opposite Ray Liotta's Mafia's boss in the film.
The titular character will be played by 'Revolutionary Road' star Michael Shannon, reported Ace Showbiz.
Kuklinski claimed to have killed more than 250 people between 1948 and 1986.
'Crazy Heart' actress Maggie Gyllenhaal will also be a part of the film.
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