L'histoire Complete de la Mafia - Vic Cotroni
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TVTranscription
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:29 [BELL RINGING]
00:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:38 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
00:55 Hi.
00:56 How may I help you, sir?
00:58 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
01:03 Lieutenant, there's someone here to see you.
01:05 It's Vic Catroni.
01:12 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
01:18 Mr. Catroni.
01:21 Come to you for a favor.
01:23 Come to my office.
01:27 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
01:38 I can help you.
01:40 But in return, you need to help me.
01:45 I need to know about your world from the beginning.
01:49 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
01:56 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
01:58 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:11 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
02:26 Montreal is a great city.
02:28 It's a large city.
02:30 It's a superb, the founding fathers
02:32 were supposed to be vibrant, to have a certain ambiance.
02:41 So what immediately evolved was this,
02:43 is that there were a lot of brothels,
02:44 a lot of clandestine bars, a lot of wild nightclubs,
02:48 and that attracted a lot of higher order criminals.
02:53 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
03:05 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
03:16 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
03:24 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
03:35 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
03:42 He was a street smart kid.
03:47 He could spot the different opportunities
03:50 and he knew exactly where to take it.
03:53 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
04:07 Come on, what's taking you guys so long?
04:10 You're killing us.
04:10 He's way up top.
04:12 [LAUGHTER]
04:18 Hey, who's this new kid?
04:20 I don't know, he's amazing.
04:22 What's his name?
04:23 It's, um, Cotrona.
04:25 That's him.
04:26 Cotrona?
04:26 Yeah.
04:29 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
04:38 Hey, Cotrona, come here for a minute.
04:42 Come on, Corviel.
04:50 You ever wrestled before?
04:53 No.
04:54 Come here.
04:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:00 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:12 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:20 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:33 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:36 Come on, Vic.
05:37 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
05:49 Vic Cotrona was the perfect candidate
05:51 for a man-to-man position because of the roughness
05:53 of the environment he was in.
05:55 He knew how to gamble, he knew how to bootleg,
05:57 he knew how to beat people for debts and things.
06:00 He was threatening, but he was also very cool.
06:04 He had this aura about him.
06:06 [CHATTER]
06:11 Hi, guys.
06:12 Well, super chart.
06:16 OK, it's a little lower.
06:17 You guys, there's nobody here.
06:19 Is this not the right time of the year?
06:21 Come on, guys, I got no more money.
06:23 You know, it's just slow.
06:24 You got to understand.
06:25 I got to come-- well, that's to pay the bills.
06:27 It's for the commission.
06:28 That's too bad.
06:29 Now, come on.
06:30 You're not going to take all of that.
06:32 Vic Cotrona was--
06:33 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
06:36 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
06:39 [GUNSHOT]
06:40 Oh, come on.
06:42 You got to leave me some.
06:44 Come on, man.
06:47 Don't mess with me.
06:49 [GUNSHOT]
06:52 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
06:55 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
06:59 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
07:02 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
07:31 Various parties hired--
07:33 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
07:36 --sometimes appalling both.
07:38 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
07:41 And stuff falls down in the box.
07:45 And that's just totally--
07:47 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
07:48 Whoa, whoa, whoa.
07:49 Whoa, shut up.
07:50 Just shut up.
07:51 What are you--
07:52 [SHOUTING]
07:55 Nothing, all right?
07:56 Nobody said nothing.
07:57 Stuff the boxes.
07:58 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:01 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:04 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:07 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:08 Nothing.
08:09 Nobody said nothing.
08:10 Nothing.
08:11 Especially you.
08:12 Nothing.
08:13 Got it?
08:14 Stuff it.
08:15 Come on, come on, come on.
08:16 I can't do this.
08:17 Nothing.
08:18 You saw nothing.
08:19 Got it?
08:20 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:23 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:26 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:29 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:33 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:36 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
08:39 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
09:00 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
09:03 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
09:06 What's the matter?
09:18 Get in there with some water.
09:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:24 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
09:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:28 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
09:31 I think Vic understood that the best way to establish his authority
09:48 and to stay during a long period of his stay
09:52 was using his brain.
09:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:58 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
10:07 [APPLAUSE]
10:12 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
10:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:23 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
10:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:34 In the '40s and '50s, the business was thriving
10:51 and the people were thriving.
10:54 We had many establishments.
10:57 I mean, we were in every corner at a nightclub.
11:00 Everywhere in the world, the mafiosi loved and needed the nightlife.
11:08 And after the Second World War,
11:10 several nightclubs were run by the Kotronis,
11:14 particularly Vic Kotronis.
11:17 The most popular nightclub in Vic, Le Faisan Doré,
11:20 became the main district of his activities.
11:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:26 Vic controlled four, five, or six nights.
11:36 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
11:39 And they were the best establishments of the genre.
11:43 He was the man of the situation.
11:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:49 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
11:59 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
12:09 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
12:12 [MUSIC PLAYING]
12:16 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
12:21 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
12:24 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
12:43 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
12:46 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
13:02 Le Faisan Doré était donc le quartier général de la mafia montréalaise.
13:11 Et Vic Kotronis en était le propriétaire.
13:14 [SINGING]
13:17 Alors que Vic accueille l'élite montréalaise les bras ouverts,
13:24 ses frères Frank et Pep s'occupent du côté sombre de la vie nocturne,
13:28 permettant ainsi à Vic de paraître respectable.
13:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:39 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
13:43 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
13:46 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
13:49 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
14:14 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
14:17 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
14:39 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
14:42 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
15:05 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
15:08 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
15:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
15:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
15:32 Carmen Galante saw the immense profit
15:40 that could be made in Montreal as a city,
15:43 but also as a transit point for heroin.
15:46 Carmen Galante is here.
15:52 Everybody Galante is here. Relax.
15:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
15:58 You think that hurts?
16:17 Look at me.
16:20 You ever, ever spill a drink in front of me again,
16:24 I swear to you, I will put a gun to your head
16:27 and blow your brains out. You got that?
16:30 Look at me. Say you're sorry.
16:32 Sorry.
16:33 Say you're sorry, Mr. Galante.
16:34 Sorry, Mr. Galante.
16:36 Get out of here before you cause a scene.
16:39 Everything OK, Mr. Galante?
16:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]
16:49 Things go a little crazier on here sometimes.
17:00 When Carmen Galante was making his way
17:07 through the Montreal market,
17:09 he figured out who was of importance there.
17:13 He realized how important Vic Cotroni was.
17:16 I think Carmen Galante was interested in Vic
17:19 for a lot of different reasons.
17:21 He was an efficient and powerful manager
17:23 who could run a strong method and he had a lot of politicians in his stable.
17:28 Vic's situation was very pleasing to Galante.
17:32 Mr. Cotroni knew the city and maintained important ties.
17:36 An alliance between the New York and Montreal mafias
17:39 quickly came to light.
17:42 Carmen Galante came to Montreal
17:44 to run the Bonanno family business
17:46 alongside Vic Cotroni.
17:48 Because of the flexibility of the latter,
17:50 their collaboration went well.
17:53 The two men became friends
17:55 and strengthened their friendship through an old mafia tradition.
17:59 Each became the parent of the other's children.
18:03 But an obstacle to their relationship came in 1955.
18:09 Eventually it became impossible for Carmen Galante to stay in Canada.
18:14 Police from the United States had informed the Canadians of his true identity.
18:18 So Carmen Galante was finally expelled from the country.
18:21 Carmen Galante and the Bonanno family were faced with a dilemma.
18:30 Either they would abandon their business in Montreal,
18:32 or they would find a reliable man who would be able to run their business on their behalf.
18:38 Vic was entrusted with the task of protecting the interests of the New York mafia in Montreal.
18:43 But the police did not stop at Galante.
18:46 They tracked his partner, Frank Petrula,
18:50 the responsible for the wine depots and the mafia blackmail.
18:53 We went to search Petrula's house.
19:07 We found 18,000 dollars in addition to a notebook.
19:11 It contained the list of people who had received the wine pots.
19:15 On the list we could read the names of the chief of police,
19:19 the chief of homicides, and the chief of armed theft,
19:23 accompanied by the money he received monthly.
19:26 Frank Petrula was shaking with fear.
19:29 He had made the mistake of writing details about these people,
19:35 whether they were corrupt or not.
19:37 Several wine pots were intended for politicians and police officers.
19:40 Petrula was an organized man, but he could not remember everything.
19:44 We have never seen him again.
19:48 He is probably at the bottom of the river.
19:50 At that time, he was aware of attaching a block of concrete to the legs of the people
19:54 whom the mafia wanted to get rid of.
19:56 I suspect that fate had been reserved for him.
19:59 He disappeared.
20:00 Petrula's list compromised Vic's activities.
20:05 When the list of who's been corrupted was published,
20:09 it became a movement of reform.
20:11 A sudden situation that is very different from organized crime that I absolutely don't want.
20:17 The mayor of Montreal, newly elected, Jean Drapeau,
20:21 used this information to fight corruption in the city.
20:25 He was the great reformer of the city.
20:29 At the end of the 1950s, he cleaned up Montreal.
20:31 He wanted to get rid of drugs, gangs, nightclubs and prostitution.
20:36 We then closed brothels, nightclubs and gambling houses.
20:40 Even the city hotel and streets are cleaned.
20:45 Around 1955, when brothels, nightclubs and gambling houses were closed,
20:56 an author wrote that the old lady had lost her girlish smile.
21:02 Montreal would never be the same.
21:05 Jean Drapeau became a hero in the eyes of several members of the community.
21:11 But not all of them.
21:13 By implementing the repressive measures that would paralyze organized crime activities,
21:21 the new mayor became a powerful enemy in the person of Vic Cotroni.
21:26 [The City of Vic Cotroni]
21:28 In 1956, when Vic Cotroni's business was going badly for two years,
21:36 Mayor Drapeau kept his promise to clean the city of the vice that was harming it.
21:53 He called on the man who could help him.
21:55 By the late 50s, Cotroni was respected by the people of the street, just like honest people.
22:03 He was a man of pride.
22:05 He ran nightclubs and a lot of criminal activities.
22:09 He was in a very good position to take on the reform of the mayor of Montreal.
22:13 During the 1957 campaign for his re-election,
22:18 Jean Drapeau promised even more severe repressive measures.
22:21 He aimed at the complete elimination of corruption.
22:24 But Vic is ready.
22:30 Since the mafia was angry,
22:37 it decided to get involved in the upcoming election.
22:41 For the mafia, this election was the only way to restore their situation, their business.
22:50 Vic Cotroni was the master of corruption.
22:52 He could buy anyone, and if he couldn't, he found the person who could.
22:57 In the middle, they say that if you don't know the target, you have to know the guy who knows the guy.
23:02 Vic invested in a special electoral box of one million dollars to defeat the candidates of Jean Drapeau's party.
23:10 Those who refused his pot of wine were convinced not to show up at the polls.
23:16 I invite all the citizens of Montreal who have the right to vote, to get out and vote.
23:24 October 28, 1957. Election day. A disgrace to democracy.
23:31 The goons were posted to some polling stations, baseball bats in their hands,
23:37 to scare the voters and prevent them from voting.
23:42 Each party was constantly tearing the other one apart.
23:45 They all bought votes.
23:48 And we saw the old mafia, using its big arms to get involved in the election.
23:55 The election's general director was fed up with the outcome of the vote.
24:03 He was kidnapped, driven into a alley, and then his legs were broken while driving over him in a car.
24:09 I still remember his name. It was Dr. Aubin Levesque.
24:13 Montrealers are not ready to forget this day.
24:18 17 people were injured by bullets, and an incalculable number were victims of aggression.
24:23 The election results are compromised.
24:26 Drapeau lost the 1957 election.
24:30 He was outraged. He was convinced that his opponent had cheated.
24:36 Won by unfair means.
24:38 Well, the Montrealers were not surprised at all,
24:43 because of the undeniable presence of corruption in the city.
24:47 The mafia had taken control and had managed to seize the vote.
24:52 Is this good, Mr. Catroni?
24:55 That's some crazy election we had.
25:05 The hope of the underworld was that they would open up and that's what happened.
25:10 Everything was well organized. The machine was perfectly oiled.
25:14 Once Catroni had facilitated the expulsion of the reformer mayor and his party,
25:20 Catroni became a man of power and prestige in the city.
25:23 Some had a debt to him.
25:25 I think Vic Catroni had become a hero in the middle of the mob,
25:32 and a kind of role model for the mafia families.
25:37 Once his position as a patron of the Montreal mafia was assured,
25:42 Vic could devote more time to his private life.
25:45 Like a lot of mafiosi, Vic had a mistress.
25:50 This woman, he loved her almost all his life.
25:53 They even had a son together.
25:56 They named him after his father, Nicodemo,
25:59 after Vic's father, who he sincerely loved.
26:02 He was a crazy boy.
26:04 But this refuge against the outside world was about to be revealed.
26:11 Vic Catroni was very discreet throughout his life.
26:17 But in the early 60s,
26:19 McLean's published a series of five articles on the mafia.
26:23 One of them was entirely devoted to the Montreal empire of Catroni.
26:27 He was even called the godfather of Canada.
26:30 He was so convinced he was an untouchable man
26:33 that he decided to sue the magazine.
26:36 To everyone's surprise, Vic challenged the magazine.
26:40 He started a very long chase.
26:43 They call this man the godfather of Canada.
26:46 Godfather of Canada, your honour, this man has an impeccable record.
26:50 This is an insult.
26:51 Your client's reputation speaks for itself.
26:53 The settlement will stand.
26:55 He had been pursuing McLean for defamation
27:00 and claimed that his reputation had been unfairly tainted.
27:03 The court evaluated this and concluded that it was worthless at first.
27:07 It was a serious mistake to pursue McLean.
27:11 The reason he started this chase was that he was certain
27:14 that we could not do anything against him
27:16 because of all the political connections he maintained.
27:19 But he was wrong.
27:21 It's an embarrassing turn of events for Vic.
27:24 The trial brought to light his mistress and their son.
27:27 He is even more determined to extend his influence.
27:31 I think the root of his power was his ability to corrupt
27:35 politicians at the municipal and provincial level.
27:38 Some say he had undercut members of the federal government,
27:41 which I would not be surprised by.
27:43 Vic then released his secret weapon, blackmail.
27:47 He knew prostitutes whose clientele consisted, among others, of politicians.
27:52 He was able to make a profit from it.
27:56 [Music]
27:59 Gerda Monsinger was part of the organized crime entertainment industry.
28:12 Many of her clients were politicians.
28:16 Pierre Sémigné, a high-ranking member of parliament, was caught in the act.
28:24 Gerda Monsinger put several people in jail.
28:28 We had discovered that important members of the federal government
28:31 had taken advantage of her favors.
28:33 It caused a huge scandal.
28:36 Pierre Sémigné's political career was ruined.
28:45 I am not going to detain myself, no.
28:50 I shall attack with every means that the law puts at my disposal,
28:58 and others, beside others, who is at the source of this insane plan of yours.
29:05 What it really showed was that he was capable of.
29:09 He could ridicule his victims to the point of being more charitable
29:13 than he was to have them killed.
29:16 While Vic was once again well established in his position as a parent in Montreal,
29:21 the Bonanno family in New York was not doing so well.
29:25 Joe Bonanno, the founding father of this mafia family,
29:30 had crossed the limits of his territory in New York.
29:33 Since he had offended the other parents, he was forced out.
29:40 Throughout this mess, the Bonanno family wanted to keep their power over Montreal.
29:45 They realized that the city was the key that united the American and European mafias.
29:52 Joe Bonanno's enemy, Stefano Magadino, known as the "dead crook",
29:58 was planning to take advantage of his rivals' weakness to take control of Montreal.
30:03 A gang war was imminent.
30:07 Vic summoned them to discuss, convinced that he could calm the tension.
30:11 Several meetings were held to discuss the issue of Montreal,
30:17 whether it should belong to the Bonanno family or not.
30:21 The clans met in Hamilton and in Montreal to resolve the problem.
30:29 Vic offered them a compromise.
30:34 He was ready to welcome the rising star of the Magadino clan, Paolo Violi.
30:40 The idea pleased the Boffolo family.
30:47 Vic's diplomatic skills increased his value in the community.
31:01 A growing number of passing mafiosi asked him for advice.
31:05 In 1968, the police tracked down a fugitive wanted by the FBI.
31:11 They arrested him in Vic's mistress' apartment.
31:30 Vic was not arrested, but his son was a witness to the scene.
31:34 Mr. Cotroni promised never to let him experience this again.
31:38 Vic did not want his son to be corrupted.
31:44 He sent his mistress and their son to live in Florida,
31:48 where he could study and lead a better life.
31:51 He sent his son away just in time.
31:59 The danger he posed could cause his death.
32:02 Vic Cotroni ruled over organized crime in Montreal for more than 20 years.
32:10 But in the 1970s, he would no longer have the chance to live in the shadows.
32:16 The duration of Cotroni's criminal career is incredible.
32:27 He was already active in the 1930s.
32:29 40 years later, he was still one of the main actors of the Mafia in Montreal
32:33 when the FLQ named him in their manifesto.
32:36 The FLQ spoke of Vic Cotroni as the manipulator of the elections,
32:54 the one who controls the government.
32:57 He was seen as the symptom of the failure of democracy.
33:05 The elections had become insignificant because of him.
33:08 He had transformed democracy into organized crime.
33:12 Those who tried to change the political structure
33:15 considered him as the symbol of all that was wrong in Quebec.
33:19 Vic Cotroni was in disagreement with the activities of the FLQ,
33:22 like the bomb attacks.
33:24 It disturbed his business, which was unacceptable to him.
33:27 In October 1970, the FLQ attacked.
33:33 The minister's kidnappings were a major event.
33:36 The FLQ was the first to attack the police.
33:39 The FLQ was the first to attack the police.
33:42 The FLQ was the first to attack the police.
33:45 The FLQ attacked.
33:48 The kidnappings of Minister Pierre Laporte and diplomat James Cross
33:51 led to the law on war measures that paralyzed the nation.
33:55 During the October crisis,
34:01 the Cotroni family offered the government to find Pierre Laporte.
34:05 His offer was refused.
34:08 The Mafia hated the radical and revolutionary side of the FLQ.
34:14 In November, the crisis subsided.
34:17 But the Montreal Parish was still worried.
34:20 Having reached the 60th anniversary,
34:24 Vic decided to focus on the future of his organization.
34:27 He called his lieutenants for an important meeting.
34:34 It came time for Vic Cotroni to name his right arm.
34:39 It came time for Vic Cotroni to name his right arm.
34:44 He was looking for the man most suited to lead the streets.
34:48 He chose Paolo Violi,
34:52 the man who had earned his trust over the years.
34:55 He made a controversial choice.
35:00 Violi, who was relatively new to the Montreal scene,
35:03 did not have an organization as solid as the Risotto.
35:07 Nick Risotto was leading an important part of the Cotroni family's activities,
35:11 that of the drug.
35:13 He was surprised by Vic's decision.
35:17 Niccolo Risotto, who was hoping to finally have the chance to lead the family,
35:25 was frustrated.
35:27 He was respected and very powerful.
35:30 His reputation was no longer in question.
35:32 Everyone knew that he should not be compared to Nick Risotto.
35:36 But Risotto respected Cotroni.
35:39 He waited, convinced that his turn would come.
35:43 Even if Vic Cotroni left the front line,
35:53 this would not calm the ardor of an investigative journalist
35:56 who wanted to verify the allegations of the FLQ on his subject.
35:59 When I started at the Journal du Devoir,
36:04 I discovered that interesting links united important people.
36:10 Some of these people were very well-known among the mafiosi and local politicians.
36:17 At that time, I could not write that this man was part of the mafia,
36:22 because the legal consequences would have complicated things.
36:27 But I could make links.
36:33 The evocations of corruption could no longer be ignored.
36:36 The provincial government was forced to act
36:39 by creating an investigation committee on the crime in Quebec.
36:42 My discoveries and everything that followed did not please the mafia.
36:49 On May 1, 1973, I was wanted to be silenced.
36:53 - Chabrenant? - Yes.
36:56 - It's me.
36:58 [Gunshots]
37:00 The aggression put the wind in the sails of the investigation committee.
37:15 In the early 70s, the Quebec government created an investigation committee on the crime
37:23 that followed the model of what had been done in the United States to solve the problem of organized crime.
37:28 The mafiosi first thought that this was a matter of public relations,
37:32 that the mere fact of wanting to ridicule them on television meant that there was nothing concrete against them.
37:37 They believed that if the authorities had really had evidence, they would have already arrested them.
37:42 The investigation on the crime in Quebec was decisive because it exposed the world of organized crime.
37:51 Vic Kotroni is the eyewitness of the commission.
37:54 Vic Kotroni could have pulled his pin if he had been younger,
37:59 but the commission had put him at a fairly advanced age.
38:04 He was a daughter of the court authority.
38:08 He refused to speak.
38:12 He said that if we wanted to send him to prison until the end of his days, he would go.
38:16 And this is why he was respected by everyone.
38:20 Vic was charged with abuse in court and sentenced to one year in prison.
38:25 When he was released in 1975, he had to face a delicate situation.
38:33 The Risotto's were trying to create their own network of heroin trafficking in New York.
38:40 For Violi, the answer was simple.
38:46 Risotto must be killed.
38:49 But this way of doing things was not Vic's.
38:53 The Risotto organization was a power in itself.
38:57 They had an impressive workforce and an incredible presence in the street.
39:01 Vic knew that if the family was divided, a war would follow.
39:06 He proposed to discuss how to resolve the conflict.
39:12 Violi and Risotto would meet at a bar, a wine house.
39:17 It was a problem for Vic to travel to Cotroni, who saw his authority in doubt.
39:24 Paolo Violi was obviously bored.
39:26 The Risotto's were annoyed because people were trying to block their way to take control of Montreal.
39:31 And the Bonanno family in New York didn't like that either.
39:34 Vic, the peaceful businessman of Montreal, was suddenly at risk.
39:41 Paolo Violi and he complained to the Bonanno's and asked them to come and solve the problem.
39:46 Violi even went to Sicily to discuss with the parishioners, who had a certain grip on the Risotto's.
39:54 Vic Cotroni did everything to make an agreement be made amicably, by peaceful means.
40:03 He had succeeded for decades.
40:05 He must have thought he would succeed once again.
40:09 But this time was not one to be settled with words.
40:12 The solution resided in a clear victory or death.
40:17 The Risotto's were the first to act.
40:21 They killed the two brothers of Violi and one of his main advisors.
40:26 One of his main lieutenants was killed in a movie theater in Cotroni.
40:31 An Italian version of the film "The Godfather" was shown.
40:34 Then Paolo Violi's brothers were killed.
40:37 Thus, we got rid of the second level of the Cotroni family.
40:41 Finally, the right-hand man and successor of Vic Cotroni, Paolo Violi, was killed.
40:47 The stakes were far too high to let anyone, even less Violi, to be an obstacle.
40:56 It was a matter of heroin, a market worth a billion dollars.
41:01 Even Vic's friend and ally from the Bonanno family, Carmine Galante, was caught in the conflict.
41:07 He was one of the victims of the war for the control of drug trafficking in New York.
41:13 He saw the gravity of the situation.
41:18 He knew what was at stake.
41:20 He saw the changes that were taking place in New York, as he did in Montreal.
41:23 He attended the funerals of all those men.
41:26 If that's enough to open his eyes, nothing will.
41:30 His family was in decline.
41:32 Vic Cotroni lost control of the city.
41:35 Weak and vulnerable, he was ready to face his fate.
41:42 The Sicilians were always respectful of Vic Cotroni.
41:50 They never put a stick in his wheels, nor tried to force themselves into his affairs.
41:58 He was seen as a man of honor.
42:03 The Risotto's began their reign on the city.
42:08 The old godfather was spared.
42:10 If Vic Cotroni had been killed, we would still feel the setbacks today.
42:22 He began at the bottom of the gang, and became the godfather of one of the most important organized crime centers in the world.
42:29 Age and illness eventually caught up with Vic Cotroni.
42:34 He was diagnosed with cancer.
42:39 I got a phone call from Vic Cotroni.
42:46 He told me that the old man he had become would like to see his son in Florida.
42:52 He then asked me if I could make sure that he could go, despite his ban on going to the United States.
43:00 Mr. Cotroni.
43:05 Come to you for a favor.
43:08 Come to my office.
43:10 Well, I said, could be arranged.
43:12 I told him that I could help him, but at a high price.
43:15 He says, I'm ready to do anything to see my son.
43:19 But I said, what are the things that we would have to talk about?
43:22 He says, I'll sit down with you and question you.
43:26 Look, I will help you.
43:29 But isn't it time you talk about your life?
43:33 You ask too much.
43:35 My son is in Florida.
43:38 I simply wish to visit.
43:42 When we started with the hard questions about the different murders of people, he says, I can't answer these questions.
43:51 At least tell me about Montreal.
43:56 Who controls it now?
43:58 I'm sorry.
44:01 It's not our way.
44:04 Then, I can't help you.
44:11 [The end]
44:14 Look, this is not the deal that we have going here.
44:21 I told him that he didn't respect our agreement, and that if he wanted to see his son again, he would have to answer all my questions.
44:30 Mr. Latourus, I cannot answer that.
44:33 He said that he couldn't say anything about the subjects that I wanted to address.
44:37 I see where you're going with this, and I can't answer that.
44:40 Well, I said, I think you will die before you see your son in Florida.
44:47 He says, this is how it's going to be then.
44:52 Vic Cotroni was no longer the manipulator.
44:56 He was even unable to prevent his son from following his tracks.
45:00 Nicodemo Cotroni would be dragged into the world of organized crime.
45:05 [The end]
45:08 Vic Cotroni would keep his secrets until his death.
45:13 On September 8, 1984, Vic Cotroni became one of the few mafiosi to peacefully die in his sleep.
45:25 [The end]
45:29 [The end]
45:33 [The end]
45:36 [The end]
45:39 [The end]
45:43 [The end]
45:47 [The end]
45:51 [The End]
45:55 [The End]
45:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]