Rizzuto funeral home arson suspects to be arraigned

MONTREAL, Que. – Three men will likely be arraigned Thursday afternoon at the Montreal Courthouse in connection with a suspicious fire about 1 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home in St. Léonard owned and operated by members of Montreal’s Rizzuto family.

The three men are all in their 30s and all have criminal records, Montreal police Constable Yannick Paradis said. They will be charged with arson causing damage to property, possession of incendiary materials and conspiracy, Paradis said.

The Loreto Funeral Complex was the site of two recent visitations for slain Rizzuto family members, including one for reputed Mob leader Nicolo Rizzuto Sr., 86, in November.

A passerby saw two men running away after the minor fire started at the Loreto funeral home on des Grandes Prairies Blvd. near Viau Blvd.

They then got into a car and, because of the witness’s detailed description, police caught up with the getaway vehicle nearby.

Jean Leblanc, a Montreal fire department chief of operations, said firefighters arrived to see flames inside an entrance at the rear of the building. A glass door had been broken and a "plastic carpet" was on fire inside the building, Leblanc said. The flames were quickly put out. He estimated the damage at $500.

Firefighters found a plastic container inside that may have been used as part of a Molotov cocktail, Leblanc said. There was the strong odour of gasoline inside, he added.

The funeral home was the site of Nicolo Rizzuto Sr.’s visitation in November after he was shot dead through the window of his home on Nov. 10. It was also the location of the visitation for his grandson Nicolo (Nick) Rizzuto Jr., who was killed in a gangland-style shooting on Upper Lachine Rd. in Notre Dame de Grace on Dec. 28, 2009.

The Loreto has been the location of other memorable funeral visitations, including one for reputed crime boss Frank Cotroni in 2004 after the 72-year-old died of brain cancer.

The Loreto Funeral Complex is owned by Nicolo Rizzuto Sr.’s daughter, Maria Renda, and his daughter-in-law Giovanna Cammalleri, according to the Quebec business registry.

Cammalleri is married to Vito Rizzuto, 64, Nicolo Rizzuto Sr.’s only son, who is serving a 10-year term in a Colorado penitentiary. Before he was extradited to the United States, Vito Rizzuto was believed to be the head of the Mafia in Montreal while his father served as a sort of senior adviser in the organization.