Mafia lunch at Holts Cafe

 From let to right Stefano Sollecito, Leonardo Rizzuto, Nicola Spagnolo, Dany Cadet-Sprince and Gregory Woolley broke bread together at Holts Cafe, as seen in this artistic collage reproduction by Chimples the monkey

 Six Montreal men aged between 40 and 50 pulled up chairs recently in the Holts Cafe basement restaurant of the chic and somewhat-pricey Holt Renfrew store at Mountain and Sherbrooke.

   All six have connections with organized crime, which currently has no known leader in Montreal.
   The topics of discussion remain unknown. The meeting took place sometime before September 30.
   The unexpected location was chosen because nobody would dare to start a shootout at such a high-class establishment.  Rival gangsters might  not have been quite as hesitant to pull a drive-by shooting if the group met at say Joes Hot Dog and Frites on Ontario St.
   It's also possible that somebody in the group likes their open-faced sandwiches, considered a specialty there.

   Nonetheless the idea of grizzled, gnarly wiseguys who know where all the bodies are buried dining next to little old ladies wearing white gloves and discussing their latest footwear purchases is a cute little bit of juxtaposition.
   The people in attendance were:

   Stefano Sollecito, 47, who is considered the interim or de facto head of the local Mafia. Unusually, Sollecito is neither Sicilian or Calabrian, he is from Bari province, slightly further north.
   Leonardo Rizzoto, 46, who is Vito Rizzuto's only remaining son. The law office he and his sister - also a lawyer - work from was firebombed on Sept. 29.

  Nicola Spagnolo, 40, whose dad Vincenzo was close friends with Vito Rizzuto, once springing him from jail on $1M bail. Vito and Vincenzo spoke regularly on the blower during Vito's incarceration and clobbered golf balls together in the DR. Nicola, the son, reputedly has some knowledge of the construction industry and was nailed for drunk driving and was also once arrested with a gun at Dorch and Metcalfe once after driving erratically.

 Gregory Woolley, 43. Wooley was associated with the Hells Angels, although he was not allowed to be a full member, as the club bans blacks. Woolley is believed to have gotten street gangs under his wing, as part of a deal that got bikers, Mafia and street gangs working in the same direction. One street gang leader apparently slapped him in the face in a sit down and was shot dead a few days later, while a friend suffered the same fate.

Salvatore Scoppa

   Dany Cadet-Sprince, 44. Another Haitian who has worked closely with Woolley.

   Steve Vogel, 50. His presence was considered a bit of a surprise because his only connection to the mob is that he has been boyfriend or husband to the daughter of mobster Luigi Colavita.

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Giuseppe Fetta

   Along with the firebomb attack on the Rizzutos' law office, other recent events suggest that Mafia friction might be on the rise.
   A gym where the embattled Guiseppe Fetta hangs out was firebombed on Oct. 28. Fetta, 36, had survived an earlier attack and was unhurt at the Crossfit 6183 which is at  6183 des Marivaux in St. Leonard.
   Salvatore Scoppa, 45, was reported to have been forced into exile in Mexico early in October as the tough guy had apparently irritated multiple people, including members of the West End Gang.
  Domenico Iacono, 56, was found dead in the trunk of his car at Desy and Farly in Montreal North. La Presse has reported that Iacono had recently settled a long-term debt with someone associated to Vito Rizzuto. Iacono was found on  Oct. 30 after having gone missing after going to eat out on Oct. 25.