Salvatore Montagna

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Salvatore Montagna
Salvatore Montagna mugshot
Born1971
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedNovember 24, 2011(2011-11-24) (aged 39–40)
Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada
Cause of deathGunshots
Other names"Sal the Iron Worker"
"Bambino Boss"
Citizenship
  • Canadian
  • Italian
Occupation(s)Crime boss, mobster
SpouseFrancesca Carcione
Children3
AllegianceBonanno crime family
Rizzuto crime family

Salvatore "Sal the Iron Worker" Montagna (Italian: [salvaˈtoːre monˈtaɲɲa]; 1971 – November 24, 2011) was an Italian-Canadian crime boss and acting boss of the Bonanno crime family in New York City, as well as the Sicilian faction-leader of the Bronx section. He had later been associated with the Rizzuto crime family of Montreal.

Montagna was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1971. He was raised in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. In the mid 1980s, at the age of 15, his family immigrated to the United States and settled in the Bronx, New York. He later became an acting caporegime for the Bonanno crime family, and by 2004, he was the acting boss of the family in the absence of Vincent Basciano. Montagna was a Canadian and Italian citizen, and was deported from the United States to Canada in 2009. In Montreal, Montagna rivaled with the Rizzuto crime family, and after the death of boss Nicolo Rizzuto in 2010, he vied for power. In 2011, he had a falling out with Rizzuto mobster Raynald Desjardins, and on November 24, 2011, his body was found on the shore of Île Vaudry on the L'Assomption River, in the city of Charlemagne, Quebec. In December 2016, Desjardins received a 14-year prison sentence, including time served, for the murder plot.

Early life[edit]

Montagna was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1971. He was raised in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. In the mid 1980s, at the age of 15, his family immigrated to the United States and settled in the Bronx, New York.[1] It is unclear when Montagna became active in the life of crime or when he became a made man in the Bonanno crime family. During the late 1990s, Montagna's name was overheard in wiretapped conversations between Boss Joseph "Big Joe" Massino and other reputed members of the Bonanno crime family.

He was a dual citizen of Italy and Canada.[2]

Sal the Iron Worker[edit]

Little is known of Montagna's personal life other than that he married Francesca Carcione and lived in a modest home in Elmont, Long Island with her and their three daughters. He started a small metalworking company called Matrix Steel Co., located at 50 Bogart Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, managed by his wife.[3][4] Matrix Steel manufactures structural and rail mill products, gray and ductile iron foundry crucibles, foundry converters, casting machines, sizing or embossing presses, foundry mold machines and foundry dies and tooling. It was around this time that Montagna was given the nickname "Sal the Iron Worker".[3]

Acting capo[edit]

In 2002, Montagna was arrested along with the crew of Patrick DeFilippo for illegal gambling and loansharking charges.[5] He refused to answer questions before a grand jury and was charged with criminal contempt of court.[5] He later pleaded guilty to the charge in 2003, and was placed on a five-year probation.[5] In late 2003, US law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) listed Montagna as an "Acting Capo" and Caporegime of the Bonanno family on behalf of DeFilippo and the Sicilian faction based in the Bronx.

Acting boss[edit]

After longtime Bonanno boss "Big Joe" Massino became an informant in 2004, Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano was recognized as the reputed Boss of the Bonanno crime family, only to discover that Massino would testify against Basciano as well.[6][7][8] In 2006, as Basciano was facing jail time, he stated that he would promote the Sicilian faction of the old Bonanno crew back into the family's leadership, as Montagna was recognized as the reputed acting boss of the Bonanno crime family from 2006 until 2010, with Nicholas "Nicky Mouth" Santora as underboss and Anthony Rabito as consigliere, making the administration of the Bonanno crime family once again complete. At that time, Montagna gained the nickname "Bambino Boss" due to his relatively young age, being 35.[4][9] In 2008, Montagna was still the reputed acting boss of the Bonannos,[10] controlling the entire Bronx faction of the family, as the Daily News linked Montagna to known Sicilian Bonanno official Baldassare "Baldo" Amato.

On April 6, 2009, Montagna was arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as he left Matrix Steel.[5][11] The 2003 criminal contempt conviction allowed U.S. authorities to strip him of his greencard and deport him to Canada; he was succeeded by Vincent Badalamenti as Bonanno family boss. According to mob writer Jerry Capeci, it was understood Montagna would have no standing or authority within Montreal's then-dominant Rizzuto crime family.[4][12]

Montreal area activities[edit]

After a slide in power of the Rizzuto family, Montagna started to show his influence. Months prior to the assassination of Nicolo Rizzuto, he had tried to convince the old patriarch to step down, and let younger blood rule.[13]

In 2011, following the assassinations of several major Rizzuto mobsters starting in 2009, Montagna was identified as one of three major mobsters trying to fill the resulting power vacuum,[14] if not take over the Montreal Mafia himself.[15][16] He, along with Joe Di Maulo and his brother-in-law Raynald Desjardins attempted to take control of Montreal's mafia from the Rizzuto family.[17]

Montagna and Desjardins had a falling out in 2011, later said to be over control of such aspects as loansharking and bookmaking in Montreal.[18]

Death[edit]

Police responded to gunshots in a suburban district of Ile aux Tresors on November 24, 2011, and found the body of Salvatore Montagna on the shore of Île Vaudry on the L'Assomption River, in the city of Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada, on Montreal's North Shore region. Witnesses reported that Montagna jumped in the river in an attempt to escape his killers.[19][20] Law enforcement believed that Montagna was brought to the house of convicted smuggler Jack Arthur Simpson, as his vehicle was later found parked on a Montreal street.[21]

By June 2016, authorities were more specific as to how Montagna had died: "Montagna was shot three times inside Simpson's home ... and ran outside in a futile attempt to escape. After crossing a narrow section of the Assomption River, Montagna collapsed and was later declared dead in a hospital".[22]

The police investigation confirmed that Raynald Desjardins had taken part in the plot to murder Montagna,[23] who, at the time, was suspected of trying to shake down Montreal-area construction companies, due to their alliance with the Rizzuto family.[24] A number people were eventually arrested and charged, including Simpson and Desjardins.[25] In 2016, Simpson, Vittorio Mirarchi, Calogero Milioto, Pietro Magistrale, Steven D'Addario, Steven Fracas and Felice Racaniello, all admitted to participating in the plot to kill Montagna and accepted plea deals except for Racaniello.[26] In December 2016, Desjardins received a 14-year prison sentence, including time served.[27]

"The killing [of Montagna] is thought to be tied to a turf war for control of the Montreal Mafia", the CBC reported in 2015.[28]

In popular culture[edit]

Montagna was portrayed by Joris Jarsky in the television drama series Bad Blood, which debuted in 2017, surrounding the Rizzuto crime family.

References[edit]

  1. ^ (in French) 98.5FM, "La guerre de la mafia se transporte à Charlemagne" Archived 2012-04-05 at the Wayback Machine, Alexandre Lebrun, 25 November 2011 (accessed 25 November 2011)
  2. ^ Macleans, "Ex-N.Y. Mob boss found dead by river near Montreal" Archived 2011-11-25 at the Wayback Machine, Canadian Press, 2011 November 24 (accessed 25 November 2011)
  3. ^ a b New York Post, "Mob boss gets iced" Archived 2011-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, Mitchel Maddux, Tim Perone, 25 November 2011 (accessed 25 November 2011)
  4. ^ a b c New York Daily News, "Former Bonanno crime family boss shot dead in Canada, two years after being deported for refusing to testify" Archived 2011-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, Tina Moore, 24 November 2011 (accessed 25 November 2011)
  5. ^ a b c d Book : Mafia Inc.: The Long, Bloody Reign of Canada's Sicilian Clan by André Cédilot and André Noël, Les Éditions de l'Homme, epilogue
  6. ^ John Marzulli (2006-05-11). "More trials for Basciano". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  7. ^ Moynihan, Colin (2011-05-25). "Ex-Mob Boss Says Deputy Sought to Kill Prosecutor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
  8. ^ Marzulli, John (2011-04-14). "Ex-Bonanno Mafia boss Joseph Massino was scared of his wife, recordings reveal". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  9. ^ Newsday, "Former Bonanno boss found dead in Canada" Archived 2011-11-28 at the Wayback Machine, Anthony M. Destefano, 24 November 2011 (accessed 25 November 2011)
  10. ^ "Feds: Montagna is new top man for Bonannos Archived 2007-12-08 at the Wayback Machine"
  11. ^ Marzulli, John (2009-04-14). "Bonanno big Salvatore Montagna booted back to boondocks". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2013-05-04. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  12. ^ Capeci, Jerry (2010-01-11). "Mob Murder In Montreal Could Trigger Bloodshed In New York". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2011-12-30. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  13. ^ The Globe and Mail, "Shot down in a ‘sloppy’ hit, another Montreal mobster dies" Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Les Perreaux, 24 November 2011 (accessed 25 November 2011)
  14. ^ Cherry, Paul (2011-11-24). "Reputed mobster Salvatore Montagna killed near Montreal". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  15. ^ "High-ranking mobster Salvatore Montagna murdered". ctv.ca. 2011-11-24. Archived from the original on 2014-07-30. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  16. ^ (in French) Journal de Montréal, "Le dauphin du parrain abattu"[usurped], Daniel Renaud, 25 November 2011 (accessed 25 November 2011)
  17. ^ Cherry, Paul (2016-12-19). "Raynald Desjardins receives 14-year sentence for plot to kill Mafioso". Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Archived from the original on 2018-09-03. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  18. ^ "Mafia killing: Widow of Salvatore Montagna has harsh words for Raynald Desjardins". cbc.ca. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  19. ^ "High-ranking mobster Salvatore Montagna murdered". CTV Montreal. 25 November 2011. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  20. ^ Paul Cherry (2011-11-25). "Reputed mobster dies after shooting". The Gazette (Montreal). Archived from the original on 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  21. ^ "Six arrested in Montagna slaying". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  22. ^ "Quebec mobster Raynald Desjardins gets 14 years in killing of rival". theglobeandmail.com. 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Mafia boss killed in Montreal region - Montreal - CBC News". Cbc.ca. 2011-11-24. Archived from the original on 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2011-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  24. ^ "NYC Mob Boss Found Dead in Canada". 25 November 2011. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  25. ^ "Jack Simpson: from portable toilet sales rep to trigger man in Montreal Mafia murder". Montreal Gazette. 14 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  26. ^ "Sentence hearing looms for men who worked together to kill Mafioso Salvatore Montagna". montrealgazette.com. 14 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Quebec mobster Raynald Desjardins gets 14 years in killing of rival". theglobeandmail.com. 19 December 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  28. ^ "Raynald Desjardins pleads guilty to conspiracy in Salvatore Montagna murder". CBC. 2015-07-06. Archived from the original on 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2018-12-21.

External links[edit]

American Mafia
Preceded by Bonanno crime family
Acting boss
2006–2010 		Succeeded by
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