Leonardo Rizzuto - the recently-arrested son of former mob boss Vito Rizzuto - has been a lawyer since 1999 in spite of being banned from studying and practicing law in Quebec in the mid-1990s.
In Dec. 1995, Rizzuto was deemed ineligible to train for or practice law due to his tendency to drive drunk, dangerously or without a license.
The young Leonardo's driving misdeeds were plenty. He pleaded guilty to two drunk-driving-related charges following an incident on May 23 1992 in the Town of Mount Royal.
He was caught again on June 6, 1994 with an alcohol reading of 140 mm, far beyond the acceptable limit of 80 mm/100 mm blood.
He apparently lost his driver's license in 1989 at the age 19 and proceeded to get caught 10 times for driving without a license, between 20 May 1992 and 6 June 1994, a cocktail of vehicular misdeeds which can easily send a driver to jail.
He also received a series of speeding tickets and one for burning a stop sign.
Rizzuto explained that he hardly ever had a valid license in his early 20s:
On his application he was forced to admit that he had a criminal record.
His case went to the Quebec Bar Verification Committee (now called the Professional Access Committee) where he was banned from practicing law in Quebec.
His attempt to get the decision reversed was turned down in 1996, as batonniers Benoit Emery, Donald Michelin et Nicole Gibeau once again rejected his dream of becoming a lawyer.
But sometime later the downturned legal thumbs turned skyward and Rizzuto was apparently greenlighted to complete his civil law studies, which he did at the University of Ottawa.
He was accepted into the Quebec Bar on May 20, 1999 and at last count remains a lawyer in good standing.
A clerk told they can find no documents detailing his successful appeal and they could find nothing that exists at the Quebec Superior Court or the Quebec Appeals Court.
While Rizzuto's driving habits as a young man under 25 were hardly praiseworthy, his perseverance in attaining his goal of becoming a lawyer - a status also enjoyed by his sister - is notable.
People acquainted with a younger Leonardo tell Coolopolis that he was a gentle soul who did not have a mob-boss personality, something hold now-deceased older brother Nicolo Jr. seemed closer to.
Rizzuto was arrested in a sweeping bust on Nov. 19, along with an entire who's who of the familiar local characters including Salvatore Cazzetta, Gregory Wooley, Stefano Sollecito, as well as lawyer Loris Cavalieri,
The nature of the evidence against the accused remains unknown, other than that it based on an investigation that started in 2013. Rizzuto has been kept behind bars pending a bail hearing.
The proof against Maurice "Mom" Boucher, also arrested on Nov. 19, appears to have been taken from conversations he allegedly had with his daughter visiting him in prison.
It will be interesting to see what case prosecutors produce.
Were wiretaps employed to gather evidence against the crew? Could police have been listening in on a recent gathering of the accused at Holt's a few weeks back? Will a high-profile mobster flip on the rest of them?
It shall be interesting to watch.
In Dec. 1995, Rizzuto was deemed ineligible to train for or practice law due to his tendency to drive drunk, dangerously or without a license.
He was caught again on June 6, 1994 with an alcohol reading of 140 mm, far beyond the acceptable limit of 80 mm/100 mm blood.
He apparently lost his driver's license in 1989 at the age 19 and proceeded to get caught 10 times for driving without a license, between 20 May 1992 and 6 June 1994, a cocktail of vehicular misdeeds which can easily send a driver to jail.
He also received a series of speeding tickets and one for burning a stop sign.
Rizzuto explained that he hardly ever had a valid license in his early 20s:
There was never any more suspensions, it was continuous. I was always three months, and three months, and three months. I had been caught back in, I think it was in 1991. I had like a sports car and I was driving around, and it was very flashy, and I didn't have the license at the time, I had not told my parents anything, so they didn't really know.Rizzuto graduated law at the University of Ottawa in May 1995 and then applied to Quebec Bar School for further training.
On his application he was forced to admit that he had a criminal record.
His case went to the Quebec Bar Verification Committee (now called the Professional Access Committee) where he was banned from practicing law in Quebec.
His attempt to get the decision reversed was turned down in 1996, as batonniers Benoit Emery, Donald Michelin et Nicole Gibeau once again rejected his dream of becoming a lawyer.
But sometime later the downturned legal thumbs turned skyward and Rizzuto was apparently greenlighted to complete his civil law studies, which he did at the University of Ottawa.
He was accepted into the Quebec Bar on May 20, 1999 and at last count remains a lawyer in good standing.
How do he get approved?
Coolopolis and its many minions have attempted to find out how and why the Rizzuto ban was reversed with both the Quebec Bar, and the Professional Tribune.A clerk told they can find no documents detailing his successful appeal and they could find nothing that exists at the Quebec Superior Court or the Quebec Appeals Court.
While Rizzuto's driving habits as a young man under 25 were hardly praiseworthy, his perseverance in attaining his goal of becoming a lawyer - a status also enjoyed by his sister - is notable.
People acquainted with a younger Leonardo tell Coolopolis that he was a gentle soul who did not have a mob-boss personality, something hold now-deceased older brother Nicolo Jr. seemed closer to.
Rizzuto was arrested in a sweeping bust on Nov. 19, along with an entire who's who of the familiar local characters including Salvatore Cazzetta, Gregory Wooley, Stefano Sollecito, as well as lawyer Loris Cavalieri,
The nature of the evidence against the accused remains unknown, other than that it based on an investigation that started in 2013. Rizzuto has been kept behind bars pending a bail hearing.
The proof against Maurice "Mom" Boucher, also arrested on Nov. 19, appears to have been taken from conversations he allegedly had with his daughter visiting him in prison.
It will be interesting to see what case prosecutors produce.
Were wiretaps employed to gather evidence against the crew? Could police have been listening in on a recent gathering of the accused at Holt's a few weeks back? Will a high-profile mobster flip on the rest of them?
It shall be interesting to watch.
The Barreau du Quebec pulled the morality card on Mr. Rizzuto but ultimately the horse manure began to smell .. quite badly and they decided to use the proverbial 'sweeper' to clean it up without much publicity which is why you won't find much. What you also will not find is logic in how they handled the case. As you pointed out, there are unanswered questions.
ReplyDeleteLet me introduce you to Sebastian Brousseau (google him..very well known case). In 1990, Mr Brosseau killed his mother by stabbing her 40 times. He then caught a matinee at the local cineplex for an ad hoc alibi. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. (Plea bargain).
In 2006, Mr Brousseau became Me Brousseau and was admitted to the Barreau du Quebec. A few years earlier the same Barreau refused to admit Mr Rizzuto for a bad driving record...
The rumor is there was pressure not to admit him as per his family name. With one Rizzuto already sworn in (his younger sister) they needed to find something anything to stop this 'madness'. What you may also not have read is that his younger sister was actually a very bright law student at Universite de Montreal involved in moot court competition.
On the subject of lawyers I do hope you look into the case of Loris Cavaliere. While I can't confirm, it seems it is a first in Canada where a lawyer is denied the right to practice law before he is found guilty. (See today's decision). In fact, he is barred from practicing law, visiting his office or communicating with any clients and the evidence has not yet been presented by the crown. This conflicts with the barreau du Quebec which allows a lawyer to practice until proven guilty.
Couple this with the American style "perp walk" by Montreal Police at his house while TVA cameras rolled at his early morning arrest a few weeks back (TVA must have great radio scanners to get there right on time) and he being presented in every court room appearance in leg irons makes you wonder if there is not a personal vendetta somewhere at this point. Time will tell but the damage is done.
I went to highschool with Leo and he indeed was a gentle soul. He was very conscious of his perceived authority and on many occasions protected the underdog. On his last year of attendance he interpreted in the annual school talent show a broken closeted homosexual who commits suicide at the end due to the pressures of his "difference". It was well known who he was and what he was suppose to represent in society, so to have him doing such a character in the 80's was pedestal worthy and opened the dialogue on how to treat gays. He was special and I can only imagine the impossible choices he had to make being born in said family.
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