MONTREAL – A man with ties to the Rizzuto clan dating back at least four decades, and whose sons appeared to have been the target of recent firebombings in Montreal, has died in the U.S.
Domenico Arcuri Sr., 79, died Monday in Florida, a state where police sources have said he has spent most of his time over the past decade.
According to a spokesperson with the Florida Medical Examiner Office, Arcuri died of cardiac arrest on Monday after a roof collapsed in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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No further details on his death were immediately available.
During the 1970s, Arcuri drew police attention in Montreal for the role he appeared to play in a dispute between Paolo Violi, then the head of the Cotroni clan in Montreal and Nicolo Rizzuto Sr., who in 1972 had begun challenging Violi’s leadership as the head of the Mafia in Montreal.
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Although friction between Rizzuto and Violi began as early as 1972, the turning point came six years later when Violi was killed by people loyal to Rizzuto.
Police investigating organized crime back then took great interest in how Arcuri took control of one of Violi’s companies, Ital Gelati, shortly after the murder.
Several businesses that were owned, or previously owned by Arcuri’s sons, including Ital Gelati, have been targeted by firebombings since August.
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