Inside Lino Saputo's secret past dealings with a mafia boss - Enquête

[Music] tonight lino Sapporo's lapse of memory hey Jamie Shaw Dupree Odell Louie da mafia et associ avec saputo the richest man in Quebec has always denied any connection to the Mafia a claim he repeats in his autobiography published last fall we respected the law kept our distance from criminal organizations he had to have known who Bonanno was he knew that Bonanno had a secret relationship with his company Joe Bonanno was the Mafia godfather in the US and his address is to 55 and this Arizona officer who investigated him will help us fill in some of the gaps in lino saputo story we're picking up the notes that he had a hidden financial interest in saputo cheese and through newly uncovered documents we will tell you about other relationships lino saputo had with criminals we'll also reveal shadowy areas in the lives of other members of his family who attended a big event at the home of the Rizzuto's who were the Canadian mafia bosses at the time I'm Mahima Donnie welcome to object it's an intriguing book in his memoir one of Canada's wealthiest businessmen tells the story of his rise from rags to riches and he devotes an entire chapter to allegations of his links to the Mafia it is simple Cheryl I'm always surprised a bit buffets are notorious for over two years our colleague at affiliate has been collecting documents about lino Sapporo and members of his family one attempt eternia it'll appeal interesting news a Oconee the sapporo family achieved business sternum in a spectacular way sapporo inc is now the biggest dairy and cheese company in canada and comes in second in the United States the company québécois saputo a delicacy support ossetla company American Stella foods it has grown into an international empire with over 17,000 employees Osaka so to Kayla so veterinary surgery done assimilation American interstate bakery today the sapporo family is worth an estimated six billion dollars with its flagship company sapporo inc but that's only a fraction of their fortune these iconic buildings in downtown Montreal are part of the real estate holdings the supporters also own Montreal soccer team and have interests in the trucking in lumber industries you know secreto a little I'll mark Soviet Lafayette lino Sapporo is retired from the cheese-making business he now devotes his time to philanthropy but documents that we found shine a light on what is not being said in lino Sapporo's autobiography from Albany New York to Arizona we uncovered secrets the billionaire might have hoped would be buried forever [Music] at 82 years of age elena sapporo decided it was time to tell his story as I look back on my life I realize how important my youth was in shaping my priorities and life choices later on he was born in the Sicilian village of Monte leprae lino is the fourth of eight children born to Maria and Giuseppe Sapporo my father was a local businessman and a cheese maker by trade he took pride in the quality and taste of the cheese's he made but life was changing in his village after World War 2 Sicily was left in ruins our village and Sicily as a whole soon resembled the Wild West violence was commonplace our system of government and governance model crumbled creating a power vacuum that the local mafia were all too happy to fill [Music] the Sapporo's decided to flee and like thousands of other Italians at the time set out to make a better life for themselves in Canada on December 8 1952 we arrived in Halifax where we boarded the train for Montreal [Music] in Montreal at the start of the 50s the supportive family began earning a modest living through odd jobs [Music] to help his father returned to the cheese-making business lino sapporo donated all of his savings to set up the company it's the story often tells like at this press conference in 2003 since I'm delightful Rostov l'équipe manager said to commence a fair bit from Angela may feel a basic profile the community reserve in September 1954 Giuseppe saputo a filly was born business was good and they were soon able to trade in the bicycle for a delivery van by 1957 our business though still modest in size had grown we purchased the property on 8th Avenue in the semi shell neighborhood we lived upstairs and worked downstairs [Music] but in the early 60s trouble came their way the gangsters the family left behind in Italy were already well-established as the Mafia in Montreal and it was run with an IRA grip by Victor Oni the man in the Cadillac is Vince Enzo cutroni he answers to no one in Canada the rise of the pizzeria had led to fierce competition particularly from unsavory types some from within the local Italian community in their desire to seize control of the local market they didn't think twice about resorting to violence it led to what some called the cheese war or the pizza war reports of violence and vandalism in the cheese industry were piling up at the Special Investigation Unit on organized crime the year of 1963 kept Montreal police investigators especially busy the trucks tires were slashed arson committed at the back of the facility sulfuric acid mixed with fermenting milk explosion inside the front entrance [Music] lena sapporo will also fall victim to these mobsters in May of 63 while delivering cheese near Montreal's Little Italy he was brutally beaten as soon as I walked into the kitchen I was told to go to the basement as I reached the bottom of the stairs three men attacked me one of them humbled me with what looked like a baseball bat they said they wanted me and my company out of the cheese business I was petrified a few minutes later they fled leaving me there bleeding on the floor according to his version lino sapporo can't say with certainty who his assailants were I didn't want to speculate about the identity of my attackers or worse make false accusations but according to police records witnesses in the restaurant recognized the thugs one of them was paolo viola who would eventually be charged with assaulting lino sapporo [Music] jean-pierre Sugano is an expert on the Mafia he collaborated with a major provincial inquiry into organized crime during the 70's les a COO of a - e leu group commander Khokar 20 vo d so jealous we're doing some for sale a pair mm here Oh we lured Sperry xalapa cubic was immoral s Powell of Yoli was eventually cleared of the charges for assaulting Lina Sapporo the witnesses had backed out strangely even though viola had been identified as his attacker that did not stop Leno saputo from socializing with them he was at violas brother's funeral in 1970 and at the christening of one of the oldest children around the same time lino saputo declined to be interviewed for this story but his attorney responded in writing to our questions about his links to Paulo viola and Vic Patroni such links are inevitable when you're a part of a small community like the Italian community it's a surprising answer given that lino saputo was also conducting business with both viola and Cutrone II don't Victor this eternal applause organization communal to came back into Canada really [ __ ] did not again sir some criminality not actually he done [ __ ] up and not what a racket we obtained hundreds of police reports on the viola cotrona crime syndicate several reports describe meetings between the two mob leaders and lino Sapporo who was giving them advice on their pepperoni company [Music] saputo was also distributing their products in the late 70s he was asked by her colleagues at the CBC about his links to Vika tronie you know mr. cotrona right yes I know mr. Patroni I know it was a businessman I know the Prime Minister I know many many people are not of charge I know lawyers I'm a businessman [Music] lino saputo had a curious relationship with mob leaders in Montreal at the time including with the man who had been identified as his attacker especially considering that in his book lino saputo takes great pains to condemn organized crime my father and my maternal grandfather raised me to never do harm to others or get involved with people who resorted to violence were respected the law kept our distance from criminal organisations and avoided crossing the wrong people never get involved with people who resort to violence keep a distance from criminal organizations lino saputo forgot to mention his relationship with viola and cotrona but this was not the only lapse of memory [Music] you [Music] [Music] my father passed on June 8 1981 his absence weighed heavily on me after his father's death Bellino saputo took over the family business and he had ambitious plans I saw his becoming first-rate dairy processors saputo cheese could become a multinational Leno saputo became an increasingly successful and respected businessman his company grew and expanded beyond Quebec's borders it seemed like he was light-years away from the cheese wars and the mobsters he associated with in the 60s and 70s but this next video tells a different story [Music] [Applause] at a wedding reception guests dance to the beat of Michael Jackson's hit song it is 1983 the groom's name is Donnell Cote his bride is Barbara viola but let's rewind the tape the video obtained through a confidential source starts with the happy couple seemingly living a peaceful existence in the countryside but what did Donal Coty do for living in order to find out we pored over newspaper articles from the 60s 70s and 80s at the National Library in Montreal we discovered that Donnell cootie had often made the headlines officially he was a jeweler the possibilities of eternity Rivera but about the dream with the Sabula trap not so delicate with knowledge affairs and de la crise excuses what farik later seldom you'd sleep with the difficulty mr. Cruz knew the man was a violent criminal in the early 60s he was found guilty of savagely assaulting a mayor's political opponent in a suburb of Ventura all don't let go t it the point is to put many 14 star klk a very very busy mrs. snow it is like you'd freak out there certainly pure person and just wanna Pender came again Z he was also charged with and found guilty of illegally importing diamonds to Canada with an accomplice legend family use a meal around examine this malicious a person he was also accused in two separate murder cases but was found not guilty they do have a disability even a deposit of Appeal connivance with a stencil okay later in the bank just fall right three years before his wedding Donnell cooties name appeared on the front page of the paper in a story about cocaine trafficking he was cleared of those charges at the time of his wedding he was awaiting trial for fraud involving nearly a million dollars the cheetah protector just an airport out enter some cash and Blakely Barbara Baba have you young the woman deny cootie would make his wife also had a criminal past before she changed her name she was called mary-louise Nolan she was caught his accomplice in the diamond smuggling case the couple was also suspected of drug trafficking forward to the wedding reception here's lino saputo at the dessert table a respectable businessman but why is he here isn't done lqt a known associate of the Mafia's most powerful players yeah anakata donal coated that report Mehmet if she Polly le policy committee and luckily it turned out that the tepid GOC the power of really remember lino Sapporo's own words never get involved with people who resort to violence keep a distance from criminal organizations it turns out leno sapporo is no ordinary guest at this wedding he is Donald cooties best man and his wife Marella sapporo is the brides maid of honor at the reception Lina Sapporo and his wife are seated at the head table we sent questions to lino Sapporo about his relationship with Donnell Kuti his lawyers written response made no mention of the matter [Music] the newlyweds are happy the party is winding down people are dancing [Music] New York New York coincidentally the state where we discovered that lino saputo had even closer ties with one of the most notorious gangsters in US history [Applause] luenell sapporo doesn't often talk to the media but we met in 2007 when he was giving interviews denying his links to organized crime margin ce que je suis pas and pre-k baracan consideration when he is associated with the Mafia Lina Sapporo is quick to dismiss it people guarantee jjomi shraddha pray or de lui da mafia et associ avec saputo Olaf Ibiza puto okay hola according to the businessman the false allegations stem from an event that took place in the 60s in which he says was a mistake parte de la Nicoise art 8 was frantic at usury certain that chemotherapy near the park poor MV team Shabana no a participate astronaut visit a park mr. banana was none other than Joe Bonanno one of the most powerful gangsters in America corruption drug trafficking and murder and this is what the letter said dear mr. Bonanno you have been very helpful to us over the years advising us we are prepared to give you an overall 20% in these companies upon your investment of approximately $8,000 at the time Joe Bonanno was trying to immigrate to Canada with the help of the suppose but eight days after the letter was written bananas name came up in the news the zoo says Fernando Conte Dada cont gennadyevna I feel free you see that you need though with a cool or a su sunday will not Easter dr. Santos lap dog soon I'll develop it become a parachute Larry put a soda miss Yvonne oh yeah yeah Madonna sweet Elijah main transfer get a Fed Lee no Sapporo has given this explanation on several occasions no ties to Joe Bonanno after 1964 yes the story just can't seem to go away our attempts to invest in markets in Ontario Vermont and New York State's failed in large part because of the criminal allegations previously pinned on us by the media [Music] [Applause] what were those criminal allegations what happened at the hearings in the US we wanted to find out next stop the library in Albany New York in the early 80s lena saputo applied for a dairy license but the New York State Department of Agriculture was opposed to it and held hearings to clarify the relationship between saputo and Joe Bonanno stockholders all of the evidence and testimony from the hearings were preserved on these plastic sheets lovino the pages number in the thousands this simple administrative matter became a full-blown investigation police from several US states the FBI as well as Canadian authorities were involved in such a thing we importantly put what I found the hearing lasted ten days several witnesses were called to testify including gene Eman who apparently had crucial information he was an investigator working in Arizona where Joe Bonanno live we set out to meet him creamer this is the key witness in the case gene Eman formerly an FBI agent he was then working for the Arizona Drug Control task for quiet I think you'd call it a very safe Jeanne Eman guides us through the Tucson neighborhood where crime boss Joe Bonanno lived the former agent was one of the few to slip the handcuffs on Bonanno after spending years investigating him Sierra Vista this is 231 his address is 255 and that's right about where that large trash container is about a hundred yards and his home is going to be on the right right here that's right here is the house where mafia ringleader Joe Bonanno lived and this is where gene Eman and his team carried out an unusual surveillance operation during the 70s they went through Joe bonanno's trash there would be two galvanized cans instead of this plastic container side-by-side the investigators slash garbage collectors ran their secret operation over a period of three years these photos show just how precise their actions needed to be they had 45 seconds to accomplish the task gene and a fellow officer would hide inside this van on trash collecting days they would drive by Joe bonanno's house I would reach out pick up the can pull it into the to the back of the van bill would take bonanno's sacks out put the replacement bags in and I'd put the cans back out on the curb after we got that then we drive away [Music] what they picked out of the garbage were torn up notes Joe banana was a very organized crime boss he was always making lists well we learned by both studying him and watching him that he was the most powerful mafioso in the United States and had specific influence we learned in Canada banandles handwritten notes were pieced back together in a hidden location at the back of the furniture store in Tucson from those notes we began to develop some patterns of his he called Canada fairly frequently why was he making all those calls to Canada we eventually found through picking up the notes that he had a hidden financial interest in saputo cheese and that was a secret interest that was held away from the public eventually the police had enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for bananas home these seized boxes of documents the year was 1979 but more searches through his trash would lead to new information 3 days after our search we put on his trash dutifully and put another 1,200 notes he had obviously panicked and wanted to get rid of these documents as which as we now have found connected him even more deeply in his relationships with with saputo cheese documents show that Joe bonanno's relationship with lino saputo was ongoing they seem to be not only doing business with each other but also very friendly they seem to interact very smoothly with each other they just had a relationship and it was a long time one Jean Eman and fellow officers collected several other pieces of evidence on saputo I have a copy of those notes I have a set of all those notes we were invited into Jean Emmons home [Music] so these are all your personal archives so you haven't seen these boxes for over 30 years 37 years [Music] Jean wanted to wait for us before diving back into the investigation he had just retrieved those old documents these documents third during French it certainly appears that that's at least a part of the documentation that that saputo is providing to Joe Bonanno probably on either arrangement or on demand to show what was going on in saputo cheese not only did Joe Bonanno have financial statements for supporters company but the word liquid Oh Italian for cash money appears frequently in bananas notes about saputo the police also found this significant item in the trash it was it was a wrapper from $1,000 bundle of money they was part of a fifty one thousand dollar transfer of money according to police the cash came from companies linked to saputo to Judge Charles bright tail this was not mere police speculation judge bright tail was a respected magistrate he had spent 12 years as chief justice of the New York State Court of Appeals when he retired he led the administrative hearing into lino Sapporo's dairy permit application it was held in Albany in 1980 in this very room Judge Charles bright Ella was the judge and he heard both sides basically our side and we were questioned by saputo x' attorneys and the determination was that Bonanno did have a relationship with saputo cheese lino saputo testified and denied all links to Joe Bonanno he submitted a letter signed by Quebec judge denied Xion Xion had presided over the Inquiry Commission on organized crime in Quebec hero they saw no evidence that could justify an investigation on the Sapporo's but it wasn't enough to sway judge bright tell and they were denied their application to do business in New York which was a huge hit because they were already dealing in multi millions of dollars of business in his memoir lino sapporo glasses over these events only to thank the people who testified on his behalf the judge eventually rejected our request but I was touched by their gesture he never mentions judge bright tales damning decision bright tail concluded that banana held shares of various companies belonging to saputo Joseph Bonanno has had significant economic and transactional involvement over a substantial period of years with several Canadian cheese companies owned by members of the saputo family and by lino saputo in particular stakes were very high very high Bonanno was still an actively known figure in New York he was the Godfather the plain and simple he was the Godfather the judge also found that lino saputo had lied lino saputo has attempted to conceal from the department his and his company's involvement with banana and has made material statements that are false misleading and deceitful one of those false statements was concerning a secret meeting the FBI recorded of which lino saputo had no recollection it is found as a fact that contrary to his assertions lino and his wife met with Bonanno in Tucson in early 1970 make a map area see Larry puta so divisive oh no no yeah yeah Madonna sweet Allah yes Jemaine transfer gotta fed the documents that gene Ammon and his fellow officers were able to put their hands on our evidence that the relationship between the two men stretched out until at least the late 70s but that's not all bananas notes also disclosed a name that is of interest Pepe Fredo are just Fredo followed by a Montreal phone number we tried calling it [Music] you [Music] we're back in Tucson Arizona were trying to reach Pepe Fredo by phone this code name and phone number come up several times in Joe bonanno's notes relating to lino saputo in the late 70s no answer who is this Pepe Fredo who seems to be so important to Jean Herman's investigation with the help of the RCMP Ammon was to discover the man's true identity so we had these names related to the phone numbers and then the RCMP determined who the phone numbers belong to and that opened up to us who he was relating to [Music] Pepa Fredo is a member of the saputo family he still lives in the same luxurious mansion in Montreal he is a prominent businessman and we will tell you shortly who he is [Music] but first we obtained a video that has never been shown to the public a rare piece of evidence given to us by a confidential source [Music] it shows a family gathering at the risottos home in Montreal these images were taken during the 50th wedding anniversary party for Nicola Rizzuto and libertine Amano in 1995 at the time Nakano Rizzuto was none other than the Godfather of organized crime in Canada one of the highlights of the video is this surreal scene the hired musicians begin to play a tune to the delight of the guests as they wait for the anniversary couple to appear as the family makes its way outside the band starts playing the theme from the Godfather [Music] the Rizzuto's openly flaunt their mafia status Pepe Fredo whose name appeared in Joe bonanno's notes is a guest at the party in his book lino saputo mentions this man once we also found it better our real estate arm now one of the largest private real estate companies in Quebec with over eight point three million square feet of property in Montreal my dear friend and brother-in-law Rosetti borsellino is president Jusuf a Borsalino also known as Pepe Fredo he is married to Alina saputo Lina's sister he may be less known than his brother-in-law but joosep Eber Cellino is a real estate mogul in Montreal Borsellino has been involved with the support businesses since the 60s [Music] Gina means investigation of Joe bonanno's trash clearly shows that joosep Eber Selena was the middleman between lino saputo and banana I would like if possible to hear the voice of your brother-in-law and speak with him although he was never formally accused of murder Joe banana was known as a powerful criminal we knew that Bonanno who had a relationship with the saputo x' and the bar salinas was credited with 80 murders some of them himself most of them ordered and so he was a violent guy and he had relationship with them Giuseppe Borsalino and banana would talk on the phone they would set up meetings dear people give me a telephone call Monday night December 1st 1975 at 7 o'clock p.m. your time he wrote down specific times and arrangements with Borsalino particularly that he was going to call him or receive a call at that phone booth at a particular time on a particular day and you were able to confirm that we were able to confirm it because we had surveillance on those phone booths most of the time the phone booth that he used was in hospital corridor bill Christiansen the FBI agent got on a gurney and lay on the gurney next to the phone booth so he could hear what was there was in you know conversation this letter written by Borsellino in the mid 70s to Joe Bonanno is telling Giorgio I don't know how to apologize for the phone call I didn't make it I know that apologies are useless but I assure you that day I was held in court for a small matter I asked for forgiveness and understanding allow me to provide you with a photograph of our daughter so you can get to know her I hope this letter finds you and your family well and until we speak on the phone I extend my warmest regards bananas notes also show that the two men spoke of money call Pepe Fredo tell about letter strike and lakitu and money back in Montreal we again try calling Pepe freddo's phone number that was found in Joe bananas ripped up notes issues you said people said he knows who clear Tsubasa you in madam septum [Music] Guiseppe Borsalino still has the same phone number he declined to talk to us alline saputo as well in a written response for cellino's lawyer denies any wrongdoing on his clients part in his box of police records jean em and found the account of a conversation between the Arizona and Canadian authorities dating from 1976 concerning lino Sapporo and joosep a Borsalino Caputo's are known as organized crime figures and have been under investigation for the past year what did the Canadian authorities do with all that evidence you collected in Joe bonanno's trash well they I know that they conducted a raid on saputo his home I'm not sure what the result of that was but in terms of follow-up I don't know that there was any but I can't speak to everything that RCMP does but as far as we know that was the end of it lino Sapporo and Giuseppe Borsalino have never faced criminal charges [Music] did contacts with criminal elements and after Jean Emmons investigation the answer is no back to the Rizzuto home in 1995 15 years after the Arizona investigation ended at the time the Rizzuto's were controlling the match in Montreal the representatives of the Bonanno clan in Montreal Paulo vol II and Vic atrani were dead Nicola Rizzuto and his son Vito had taken over at their wedding anniversary party they welcomed close friends into their home including high-ranking criminals such as this convicted heroin trafficker they also take photos with the guests a lucky few get to pose next to the Godfather himself among them Elena saputo and joosep Eber Cellino also known as Pepe Fredo according to police documents giuseppe Borsalino continued his contacts with members of the rizzuto clan until at least the mid-2000s we asked lino saputo to come and his brother-in-law's relationship with the Rizzuto's he did not answer the question Maurice Adu TDC van der pute a co privilege a Cinnabon the reputation why has lino saputo always lied about his relationship with the highest echelon of organized crime we didn't sell any shares to mr. banana why is he denied having any links to organized crime people guarantee a shammy Shraddha pray or de lui da mafia et associ avec saputo a lava be saputo cocky old entourage they subtly because it would surely have tainted the sapporo name in business circles from lino saputo his appointment to the board of directors of the National Bank where he served for 10 years to the Sapporo's influence in politics giuseppe Borsellino was an official fundraiser for the Quebec provincial Liberal Party to the many rewards like this honorary PhD from Concordia University the many distinguished honors lino saputo who knows pop Quebecois revel fan aficionado aniseh knowledge giving or the country's highest awards like the Order of Canada bestowed by the governor-general Woodleigh no saputo has been celebrated by Canadians if he had told the truth about his past connections to organized crime [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this was a special English presentation of OCAD a Hozuki nadas investigative program thank you for watching [Music] you [Music]

Channel: CBC News

Views: 467,660

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Id: ErC630NDcfQ

Length: 42min 26sec (2546 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 30 2020