Thu, Jan 27, 2011
This episode looks at the rise and fall of Montreal's Rizzuto crime family. Affiliated with New York's Bonanno crime family, Vito Rizzuto came to prominence in the early 1980s when Joe Massino, acting head of the Bonannos, had Vito and his crew eliminate 3 captains he suspected of being unloyal. After that, Vito was the king of crime in Montreal with a criminal empire worth billions and controlling the flow of heroin through Montreal to the U.S. Vito however was extradited to the U.SA. and eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison. As he had predicted, the family's control of Montreal crime began to weaken and his successors - his father Nick and later his son Nick Jr. - were both killed.
Thu, Mar 17, 2011
This report focuses on two white collar criminals, both in positions of trust, who embezzled funds, and the adequacy of the sentences they received. David Reiner was a bookkeeper who stole $755,000 from 21 daycare centers in the Toronto area. He fled the country in 2006 - leaving behind a wife and children - and a warrant for his arrest was issued the following year. The Fifth Estate had actually tracked him down in 2008 when he was living in Uganda. Out of money he returned to Canada and was arrested on arrival. He was sentenced to 2 years in prison and spent only 13 months behind bars before being paroled and returning to Africa. Earl Jones was a pillar of Montreal's English-speaking community and a financial management advisor who defrauded over 150 clients of $50 million. His ponzi scheme lasted for nearly 25 years until the 2008 recession exposed Jones' activities. His clients included his brother Bevan, childhood friends and people he recruited at seminars he ran out of a local church hall. He spent the money on himself and his wife to maintain their luxury lifestyle. People lost everything and Jones was sentenced to 11 years and will be eligible for parole after serving as little as 22 months.