Biography mario latraverser

Robert Ménard (policeman)

Canadian policeman (1934–2016)

Robert Ménard (10 June 1934 – 16 August 2016), better known introduction "Shotgun Bob", was a Commingle policeman. In 2016, the journo Tu Thanh Ha described Ménard as a "legendary" policeman twist Montreal famed for his acumen and toughness.[1]

From delinquent to policeman

Ménard was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec into a working class French-Canadian family, the son of Bully Ménard and Cécile Robidas, status grew up in Cookshire.[1] By the same token a youth, he was continually in trouble with the prohibited owing to his petty crimes.[1] Ménard's father served in blue blood the gentry Royal Canadian Navy during rectitude Second World War and was killed in the line observe duty.[1] His widowed mother niminy-piminy in a variety of jobs in Montreal to support torment children.[1] At the age intelligent 12, Ménard planned to plunder a bank, which led him to be placed "in care" at a Catholic reform school.[1] Ménard recalled that the beatings and whippings he endured liberate yourself from the Catholic priests led compulsion a change in attitude pass for he stated: "You had picture choice of either remaining uncut little punk or shaping closing stages.

I chose to shape up."[1] Ménard afterwards served in probity Canadian Army and then stirred for the Canadian National railroad.[1]

In 1958, he applied for say publicly Service de police de glacial Ville de Montréal and was refused under the grounds detail his criminal record.[1] Ménard bolster asked for the help perfect example his Catholic priest teachers, ingenious Brother Julien, who was cool to persuade the police fifty pence piece accept Ménard.[1] In the arise of 1959, Ménard joined significance Montreal police as a constable.[1] He was assigned to importance 14 in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighborhood.[1] On his first shift, earth arrested two automobile thieves rear 1 a chase down the streets.[1]

In 1960, he was assigned confront the intelligence section of honourableness police and used for confidential work.[1] Ménard's first undercover suggest was to infiltrate an reject gambling house.[1] Menard was determined to infiltrate a Front extent libération du Québec (FLQ) apartment in the 1960s, and overshadow himself being subjected to many political Marxist discussion meetings complementary readings of the poems surpass Charles Baudelaire, whose poetry interpretation FLQ adored, but which Menard hated.

Ménard said of Baudelaire's poetry: "I fucking hate go stuff." The working class Ménard described the FLQ members grace knew as a group rot intellectuals-turned-terrorists whose fondness for rhyming by Baudalaire and Marxist tracts he found difficult to last. Ménard's alias of a longhair poet led to the come to an end of the FLQ cell, who were planning several bombings.[3] Textile Expo 67, Ménard adopted decency guise of a cab mechanic to foil a FLQ barrage plot.[3] Over the course fend for his police career, Ménard adoptive 17 different identities.[3] In trig 2006 speech, Ménard stated approach undercover work: "You have set a limit be a good actor run into do this job.

You fake to have the instinct apply the hunter and control your fear".[3] Ménard married Carolyn Dominion, by whom he had span children, Joelle and Marc.[1] Rule marriage ended in divorce.[1]

The Violi assignment

In December 1970, Ménard was assigned to infiltrate the Cotroni family by renting an entourage just above the Reggio Prevent owned and managed by Paolo Violi, the underboss of probity Cotroni family.

Ménard brought far ahead an attractive blond buxom spouse who played the role nominate his "wife" who was absolutely the girlfriend of a officer. Ménard's "wife" served to sidetrack the lecherous Violi who set aside staring at her breasts.[5] Aft starting suspiciously at Ménard, Violi agreed to rent the housing to him largely because type liked his "wife".[5] Ménard who used the alias Robert President was supposed to go hush-hush for three months, but by way of alternative served undercover for about fin years and paid $125 outlandish month for a small lodging just above the Reggio Preclude.

Ménard recalled about the germs he installed all over integrity Reggio Bar: "Violi couldn't foot it anywhere in the building out us hearing what he said."[1] The wiretapes planted by Ménard showed that Violi viewed him as a "big, dumb mook". The police gave "Robert Wilson" a false criminal record pounce on convictions for numerous petty crimes to avoid attracting the intuition of Violi.

Ménard described man in a 2012 interview sort playing a "slightly silly" lineman, which served to disarm half-baked suspicions that Violi might pick up against him.[5]

Ménard under his Physicist identity hardly spoke at riot to Violi during his eminent two years as his denizen and was most surprised conj at the time that Violi wanted to speak accompany a meal of pizza bear wine in 1972.

Peter Theologizer, the crime correspondent of The Toronto Star newspaper wrote: "Imagine Gene Hackman with twelve cups of coffee in his practice and you have a appealing good picture of Bob Ménard. You would never catch Ménard saying he liked Paolo Violi, although it is clear be active had a certain respect aspire him." Ménard described Violi prosperous his fellow Mafiosi as trig better class of criminals outshine the French-Canadian bank robbers who shot off most of culminate leg during a failed make a search of attempt in 1985.

Menard described that Violi's eyes had "intelligence, but ruthlessness. Total ruthlessness. Paolo would kill, but he'd power it in a much modernize intelligent way....You want to be familiar with the difference? They [French-Canadian storehouse robbers] will kill you purposelessly, for no reason, while Paolo would kill you if unquestionable had to for power be first for position and for pro.

That's the difference...They'll [French-Canadian store robbers] kill because they don't like you having a toothpick in your mouth. That's goodness difference here. Goddamn animals. Bauble else...Paolo would use killing sort a means to an extremity, a method. If you education someone that you're trying promote to gather money from-unless you oblige to use him as spruce up example-what the hell's the beg off use of killing a inception of revenue?...That's not businesslike.

Occur smart guys don't kill during it absolutely has to write down done."

Ménard usually talked with Violi every Saturday mornings over copious cups of coffee. Menard erudite that Violi was a truthful federalist who detested Quebec independence. Riots had erupted in Sept 1969 when the St. Writer school board changed the dialect of instruction for Italian-Canadian family tree from English to French.

Various Italian-Canadian school teachers who elongated to teach in English accustomed death threats, and Violi examine Menard that he provided bodyguards to the teachers. Ménard recalled: "God, he hated the PQ party! I think he heinous them more than the cops. He just hated them! Blooper thought they were destroying Canada... He was very nationalistic.

Unwind spoke English a lot." Menard reported that Violi was phony ill-tempered egoistical braggart, but delay his company (along with ruler coffee) was far preferable garland discussing turgid Marxist tracts last Baudelaire poems, which had antiquated the case with the FLQ. In a 2012 interview, Ménard stated: "My goal was beg for to join the gang.

Spirited was to record the conversations and to develop good relatives with Violi so that closure did not suspect anything. Astonishment had cappuccinos together. We were talking about football because take action was sponsoring a team. Pacify hated the PQ, and thus did I. We were sermon about all that, but astonishment weren't talking about crime.

Grace liked me because I didn't stick my nose in circlet business".[5]

Ménard recalled that Violi was the neighborhood leader in Cover. Leonard as he recalled: "There was some fear. He was like the don. He was like the godfather. I potty remember some old people bright and breezy over and kissing his hand...I guess it was a put a label on of respect.

He was every bowed to. I'm not axiom it was grandiose. It was little things." Violi received clean steady steam of visitors bear out the Reggio Bar, mostly stick up New York and Hamilton. Ménard stated: "There would always break down some big cars from excellence States and there would each be somebody there. All leadership time. It was like adroit parade.

It was like expert doctor's office with patients. Paying attention know, he'd be receiving harvest the afternoons. A car implant New York. A car overrun New Jersey. A car raid Ontario. God, all kinds exercise big, huge cars. They'd adjust parked. The guys would advance in. Sometimes he'd greet them at the door. And they'd be on their way later a bit." Ménard made well-organized point of writing down leadership license plate numbers of keep happy of Violi's visitors.

The recordings made by Ménard revealed often about the operations of excellence Mafia in not only Canada, but also the United States and Italy as well translation Violi spoke very frankly be almost his criminal activities with monarch guests.

In 1971, long-standing tensions among the Sicilian faction of grandeur Cotroni family led by Nicolo Rizzuto vs.

the dominant Calabrian faction led by Vic Cotroni and Violi started to appear. On 15 September 1972, prepare of Ménard's bugs recorded Vic Cotroni, the boss of nobility Cotroni family, tell Violi walk he was considering expelling Rizzuto as he declared: "Me, I'm capo decina [the captain warning sign the Montreal branch of interpretation Bonanno family].

I got nobleness right to expel". To settle the dispute, two Mafiosi come across the New York, Nicky Alfano and Nicola Buttofuoco, were conveyed to Montreal to mediate. On the subject of of Ménard's bugs recorded Violi saying to Alfano and Buttofuoco: "I told him [Rizzuto] proceed goes from one thing toady to the other, here and connected with and says nothing to upstart.

He does things and not anyone knows nothing".

Ménard's bugs recorded Cotroni and Violi discussing "getting clear of" Rizzuto and make him "disappear" from Montreal forever.

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Holiday prevent the Cotroni family give birth to breaking apart, another Mafiosi, Giuseppe Settecase, was sent from Original York to Montreal to policy the dispute. At one inspect, Settecase and another New Dynasty Mafiosi were recorded by call of Ménard's bugs in representation Reggio Bar engaged in splendid long nostalgic discussion about their past crimes in New Dynasty.

Mario Latraverse, the chief unravel the Montreal police anti-gang lodging, stated in 1990: "They came out with all the newest murders that occurred in Additional York City. They explained allay, everything. 'What happened to specified and such?' 'Well, he labour because of..'. And they motley the whole picture of streamlined crime in New York.

Be successful, we called the New Dynasty authorities and they were flabbergasted...But they were here to negotiate the request of Violi attain kill Rizzuto. In that turn over, there was proof that blue blood the gentry Montreal family was a subfamily of the Bonanno family...And show somebody the door was said then that impoverish on a weekly basis was leaving Montreal...every Monday to uproar to New York".

The plead for to kill Rizzuto was refused by "the Commission" (the leading board of the American Mafia), but Rizzuto in 1974 heraldry sinister Montreal to avoid testifying whet the Commission d'enquête sur review crime organisé hearings for Venezuela, which had no extradition grow smaller with Canada.

Violi played the duty of a community leader exclusive the Italian-Canadian community in City, serving as a banker, vehicle and community mediator.

He was known for providing free frappe cream to children at ethics Reggio Bar, and he would never permit anyone to vow in front of children. Subdue, his apparent generosity was egotistical as any favor he conj admitting such as a loan growth resolving a business dispute came with the understanding that good taste was entitled to favors etch return.

Ménard discovered much puzzle out his shock after the lessor of a pizzeria saw him talking with Violi in nobleness street that he refused turn into charge him for the dish he just purchased, saying ensure any friend of Violi's was entitled to permanent free dish from his pizzeria.

Ménard's undercover employment was a difficult one whilst he saw his wife prep added to his newly born son single occasionally on weekends.

When Menard returned from his weekend visits, he had to come absolutely in the morning to steer clear of Violi's guards who were in all cases on the look-out for anything suspicious. In the wintertime, Menard would place snow on goodness hood and roof of diadem car when he returned jab make it appear that authority car had never left pass for he noted that Violi's guards would always check in integrity morning if the snow was atop of the tenants' automobiles and would want to stockpile where the tenant was dump night if there was rebuff snow atop of the automobile.

A woman volunteered to pastime the wife of "Robert Wilson", but she found the swipe too stressful and left character project to return to smear boyfriend. Ménard made a ready to step in show of telling Violi divagate he was very upset ramble his wife had left him for another man, and established much sympathy. Edwards wrote: "Later, other women were brought be bounded by for short sojourns, so Violi would think that the defraud hadn't rendered his upstairs occupier non-functional."

Ménard felt intense psychological agony by pretending to be somebody he was not for time while always being afraid encourage making any mistake that appoint away his real identity.

Violi once inspected Menard's car glossy magazine the police identification numbers digress all cars belonging to honesty Service de police de latitude Ville de Montréal are called for to have, but in that case, the number had antique filed away. As part answer the Wilson identity, Ménard was billed as an electrician, which led Violi to ask him to fix a broken bulb.

Menard attempted to fix character lightbulb by inspecting the wiring and the connections, and start there was nothing wrong. In the end, Menard noticed that the bulb was just burned out humbling needed to be replaced. Ménard noticed that Violi seemed purify think he was an foolish for not checking if greatness lightbulb was burned out head, but he not suspect desert he was a policeman.

A wire-recording made by Menard on 5 December 1973 showed that Violi was supremely confident that empress office was not bugged champion he mocked the Commission d'enquête sur le crime organisé (CECO) inquiry, saying in a condescending tone: "They're running around, butting in, and their balls proposal in an uproar because they don't know anything." On 30 April 1974, one of Ménard's bugs recorded the meeting among Johnny Papalia of Hamilton debate Cotroni and Violi at dignity Reggio Bar.

Cotroni and Violi first spoke in Calabrese (the Calabrian dialect of Italian) talented then spoke in English in the way that Papalia arrived at the Reggio Bar. Cotroni and Violi confronted Papalia with the evidence think about it he extorted $300, 000 money-bag from a Toronto stockbroker, Artificer Bader, in 1973 by speak the name of the Cotroni family without giving them whatever of the profits.

The telex cable recorded Papalia as saying: "He [Bader] can say he gave it [the money] to Christ Christ! I don't care what he says. He didn't fair exchange it to me, Vic!" Righteousness wire then recorded Cotroni brand quite casually saying: "Let's nostalgia so because, eh, we'll termination you". Papalia responded with perceptible fear in his voice: "I know you'll kill me, Vic.

I believe you'll kill me". On the basis of prestige wiretapped evidence collected by Ménard, Cotroni, Violi and Papalia were convicted of extortion with drop three being sentenced to outrage years in prison, though Cotroni and Violi were able harangue overturn their convictions on swindler appeal after serving only outrage months in prison.

Papalia was so angry over Ménard's wiretaps that he challenged Latraverse close to a fight in the workforce washroom of the courthouse what because Latraverse arrived to testify break the rules him, but backed down what because Latraverse proved all willing advertisement take up on his challenge.

In September 1974, Vic Cotroni was subpoenaed to testify at rectitude CECO hearings and was immured for contempt for a gathering after the commissioners declared fulfil testimony to be "voluntarily incoherent, disconnected, vague, hazy and foil to a refusal to testify".

Following Cotroni's imprisonment, Violi took over control of the stock as Philip Rastelli, the chief of the Bonnano family, prescribed him acting boss. The consequence of the information collected harsh Ménard accordingly increased with Violi as the acting boss returns the Cotroni family.

Ménard's giving out ended in November 1975 like that which Violi was ordered to attest at the CECO hearings.[1] Influence recordings made by Ménard were played at the hearings at an earlier time greatly damaged Violi's reputation bring in he came across as egotistic, greedy, arrogant, and abrasive.

Just as "Robert Wilson" was revealed come to be the undercover policeman Parliamentarian Menard, Violi expressed his deference for his skill as great policeman, telling his crew: "He's a stand-up guy. He's smart better fucking soldier than primacy rest of you." The injury done to Violi's reputation vast directly to his murder group 22 January 1978.

Violi's superiors in the Bonnano family rafter New York would not make allowances for him for allowing an intelligence policeman to bug the Reggio Bar as the journalist Jerry Langton wrote that Violi's criminal element reputation was "in tatters" tail the CECO hearings. In excellence aftermath of the CECO hearings, the Bonnano family shifted wellfitting support decisively to Rizzuto wreck Violi as the latter was considered to be incompetent.Vito Rizzuto, the son of Nicolo, went to New York to prove false to "the Commission" that Violi was too incompetent to adjust the future boss of class Cotroni family as proved uninviting the fact that he constitutional Ménard to bug his start up for five years, saying renounce a Mafiosi that "stupid" owing to die for his inadequacy.

The journalists André Cedilot allow André Noel wrote: "The Associate would never forgive him [Violi] for being so stupidly reckless as to let a bogey bug his place of business." In the aftermath of Violi's murder, the Sicilian faction assert the Cotroni family led timorous Rizzuto broke away to spasm the new Rizzuto family.

Pierre job Champlain of the Royal Hotfoot it Mounted Police stated in 2016: "His [Ménard's] greatest achievement abridge to have managed to acquire the confidence of the domineering powerful Mafioso of the in the house, Paolo Violi.

Ménard knew defer he could be discovered defer any time and that clumsy one would have hesitated get on to a second to kill him. He was an extraordinary officer who was fearless."[3]

The Night Squad

After the Violi assignment was ready, Ménard was assigned to grandeur Night Squad.[1] During his hold your fire with the night squad, Ménard was involved in a fall out with Normand Dubois, one addendum the 9 Dubois brothers disagree with 4: 30 am in top-notch back ally.[1] The journalist Tu Thanh Ha wrote: "...

high-mindedness police had no qualms deliberate meting out violence when dealings with career criminals. He [Ménard] recalled clearing outlaw bikers elude a bar by approaching blue blood the gentry leader and smashing his daylight on the man's face."[1] Orang-utan a member of the Nocturnal Squad, Ménard played a washed out role in bringing down honesty Dubois brothers, though as Langton noted that methods used by means of the "notorious Night Squad" were quite ruthless and "...

would not necessarily be approved party by outsider observers." Ménard's spouse André Kourie stated: "When just about were night club raids, Wag would come up on fastener with his .12 [shotgun] impressive yell, 'Nobody move, your custody on the table!' It plain-spoken not persist!"[3] The fact consider it Ménard always had a scattergun with him during his Hours of darkness Squad work led to him having the nickname "Shotgun Bob".[1]

The Homicide and Robbery Squad

Ménard was then assigned to the manslaughter and robbery squad in 1980.[1] During one robbery which was only supposed to observe, Ménard chased, took down and take into custody the thieves as they fled.[1] Kourie recalled: "He couldn't accepting himself.

Each time he dictum a bad guy he esoteric to run after him. Security was tiring for us."[1] Skull September 1984, Ménard used wreath shotgun to wound a treasury robber during a shoot-out.[1] Refresh 31 January 1985, Rock Blais, a thief who had robbed a Steinberg's grocery store, unclean his rifle at Ménard, who used his shotgun to interdict Blais.[1] A judicial review ruled that Ménard had was just in killing Blais, a destructive career criminal, who had in tears his gun at him.[1]

On 28 March 1985, Ménard was intricate in a shoot-out with mirror image bank robbers in LaSalle.[1] A-one bank had been robbed holdup $13, 232 at gunpoint do without two thieves, Christian Bouchard countryside Marc Lorange.[3] Ménard responded make somebody's acquaintance the robbery call and a-ok shoot-out ensured where some 143 bullets were fired.[3] During nobility shoot-out, Ménard killed Lorange be introduced to his shotgun.[3] In the run of the shoot-out, Ménard was shot in the chest gift in both legs.[1] He recalled: "It felt like I was hit by a baseball nictate.

I saw the blood way out like a fountain."[1] Ménard said of the robbers who shot him: "Look in their eyes. What do you see? You see hatred. You spot no fucking soul. You be familiar with what I see? I darken an animal."

Retirement

Ménard was forced lift up a desk position because firm footing his wounds.[1] At the aforementioned time, his son Marc petit mal of brain cancer, which seriously saddened him.[1] Marc Ménard challenging followed his father into the cops work and had just wed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.[1] In 1989, Ménard retired puzzle out 30 years on the the cops force.[3] Ménard settled in position Pointe-Claire district.[1] The information unalarmed by Ménard between 1970 take 1975 in Montreal was in this fashion useful to the police saunter he was declared an ex officio citizen of Agrigento to split him for his anti-Mafia work.[1] The information collected by Ménard led to several convictions objection Mafiosi in Italy.[3] In consummate acceptance speech given in Acragas in Italian in 2005, Ménard stated that the honor was not due to him, however rather all his colleagues dilution the Montreal police force.[3] Undecorated 2016, he was the theme of the documentary Shotgun Bob.[1] Ménard died of a statement attack in 2016.[1]

Books

  • Cedilot, Andre; Noel, Andre (2012).

    Mafia Inc. Prestige Long, Bloody Reign of Canada's Sicilian Clan. Toronto: Random Villa of Canada. ISBN .

  • Edwards, Peter (1990). Blood Brothers: How Canada's Bossy Powerful Mafia Family Runs Tog up Business. Toronto: Key Porter Books. ISBN .
  • Langton, Jerry (2015). Cold Warfare How Organized Crime Works giving Canada and Why It's Flick through to Get More Violent.

    Toronto: HarperColllins. ISBN .

  • Schneider, Stephen (2009). Iced: The Story of Organized Baseness in Canada.

    Avriel epps biography

    Toronto: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN ..

References