Salvatore Calautti

Salvatore "Sam" Calautti (Italian: [salvaˈtoːre kalaˈutti]; 1971/72 – July 12, 2013), was an Italian-Canadian hitman for the Calabrian-based Mafia organization 'Ndrangheta, based in Toronto and Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, rivals with the Sicilian Rizzuto crime family.

Life and criminal activities

Calautti was a father of three, restaurant owner and heavy gambler, employed by the 'Ndrangheta since he was a teenager when he worked as a debt collector who was known for his short temper and "always carrying a gun".[1]

Calautti is connected to the murders of Giovanni Costa in 1991, who was gunned down near his home in Vaughan, and Francesco Loiero in 1996, owner of Rustic Bakery in Toronto who was shot to death while sitting in his car in a Vaughan parking lot.[1][2][3] In 1997, Calautti was accused of the murder of Giuseppe Congiusta, who was shot nine times as he got out of his car outside of a Toronto social club, but was acquitted the following spring when the jury found Calautti not guilty after a witness gave a description of the gunman that didn't match him.[4] In October 2000, Calautti was suspected for the revenge murder of Vito Rizzuto's former right-hand man, Gaetano "Guy" Panepinto, in a drive-by shooting while he drove his Cadillac in Toronto after close 'Ndrangheta friends Domenic Napoli and his associate Antonio Oppedisano disappeared earlier that year due to conflict over gambling territory.[5][6]

The Montreal Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation, Project Colisée found in 2006 that Calautti ran up over $200,000 in gambling debts to the Rizzuto family and the Hells Angels.[5] After he refused to pay, the debt was believed to be assumed by Toronto mobster Michele Modica, sparking hostilities between the Rizzuto's Toronto connection Pietro Scarcella, leading to the 2004 attempted assassination of Modica in a North York California Sandwiches shop, leaving innocent victim, Louise Russo, paralyzed.[5] Calautti, however, was not one of the shooters in the attempted assassination.[5]

Calautti was also investigated in the unsolved November 2010 murder of Nicolo Rizzuto, who was shot dead by a sniper while in the kitchen of his Montreal mansion after police saw one of Calautti's longtime associates in Montreal the day after the Rizzuto murder.[5]

Death

Calautti was shot dead at the age of 41 in his BMW X6 around 1:00 am on July 12, 2013 outside the Terrace Banquet Hall in Vaughan after attending the stag of a local bookie where up to 500 people were in attendance.[1][5] His associate James Tusek was also killed.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Alleged mobsters shot to death at Vaughan stag party". ctvnews.ca. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  2. "GTA cocaine conspiracy was tied to 'Ndrangheta crime network, Crown says at sentencing of alleged mob boss". thestar.com. 9 November 2018.
  3. "Francesco Loiero". yrp.ca.
  4. "Vaughan shooting victims were targeted, police say". theglobeandmail.com. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  5. "Slaying of hitman and his friend has expert wondering if Montreal's Mafia war is coming to Toronto". thestar.ca. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  6. "Cut-rate coffin maker killed in drive-by 'hit'". theglobeandmail.com. October 5, 2000.
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