Leonardo Rizzuto - the recently-arrested son of former mob boss Vito Rizzuto - has been a lawyer since 1999 in spite of being banned from studying and practicing law in Quebec in the mid-1990s.
In Dec. 1995, Rizzuto was deemed ineligible to train for or practice law due to his tendency to drive drunk, dangerously or without a license.
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The young Leonardo's driving misdeeds were plenty. He pleaded guilty to two drunk-driving-related charges following an incident on May 23 1992 in the Town of Mount Royal.
He was caught again on June 6, 1994 with an alcohol reading of 140 mm, far beyond the acceptable limit of 80 mm/100 mm blood.
He apparently lost his driver's license in 1989 at the age 19 and proceeded to caught 10 times for driving without a license, between 20 May 1992 and 6 June 1994, a cocktail of vehicular misdeeds which can easily end a driver jail.
He also received a series of speeding tickets and one for burning a stop sign.
Rizzuto explained that he hardly ever had a valid license in his early 20s:
On his application he was forced to admit that he had a criminal record.
His case went to the Quebec Bar Verification Committee (now called the Professional Access Committee) where he was banned from practicing law in Quebec.
His attempt to get the decision reversed was turned down in 1996, as batonniers Benoit Emery, Donald Michelin et Nicole Gibeau once again rejected his dream of becoming a lawyer.
But sometime later downturned legal thumbs turned skyward and Rizzuto was apparently greenlighted to complete his civil law studies, which he did at the University of Ottawa.
He was accepted into the Quebec Bar on May 20, 1999 and at last count remains a lawyer in good standing.
A clerk told they can find no documents detailing his successful appeal and they could find nothing that exists at the Quebec Superior Court or the Quebec Appeals Court.
While Rizzuto's driving habits as a young man under 25 were hardly praiseworthy, his perseverance in attaining his goal of becoming a lawyer - a status also enjoyed by his sister - is notable.
People acquainted with a younger Leonardo tell Coolopolis that he was a gentle soul who did not have a mob-boss personality, something hold now-deceased older brother Nicolo Jr. seemed closer to.
Rizzuto was arrested in a sweeping bust on Nov. 19, along with an entire who's who of the familiar local characters including Salvatore Cazzetta, Gregory Wooley, Stefano Sollecito, as well as lawyer Loris Cavalieri,
The nature of the evidence against the accused remains unknown, other than that it based on an investigation that started in 2013. Rizzuto has been kept behind bars pending a bail hearing.
The proof against Maurice "Mom" Boucher, also arrested on Nov. 19, appears to have been taken from conversations he allegedly had with his daughter visiting him in prison.
It will be interesting to see what case prosecutors produce.
Were wiretaps employed to gather evidence against the crew? Could police have been listening in on a recent gathering of the accused at Holt's a few weeks back? Will a high-profile mobster flip on the rest of them?
It shall be interesting to watch.
In Dec. 1995, Rizzuto was deemed ineligible to train for or practice law due to his tendency to drive drunk, dangerously or without a license.
He was caught again on June 6, 1994 with an alcohol reading of 140 mm, far beyond the acceptable limit of 80 mm/100 mm blood.
He apparently lost his driver's license in 1989 at the age 19 and proceeded to caught 10 times for driving without a license, between 20 May 1992 and 6 June 1994, a cocktail of vehicular misdeeds which can easily end a driver jail.
He also received a series of speeding tickets and one for burning a stop sign.
Rizzuto explained that he hardly ever had a valid license in his early 20s:
There was never any more suspensions, it was continuous. I was always three months, and three months, and three months. I had been caught back in, I think it was in 1991. I had like a sports car and I was driving around, and it was very flashy, and I didn't have the license at the time, I had not told my parents anything, so they didn't really know.Rizzuto graduated law at the University of Ottawa in May 1995 and then applied to Quebec Bar School for further training.
On his application he was forced to admit that he had a criminal record.
His case went to the Quebec Bar Verification Committee (now called the Professional Access Committee) where he was banned from practicing law in Quebec.
His attempt to get the decision reversed was turned down in 1996, as batonniers Benoit Emery, Donald Michelin et Nicole Gibeau once again rejected his dream of becoming a lawyer.
But sometime later downturned legal thumbs turned skyward and Rizzuto was apparently greenlighted to complete his civil law studies, which he did at the University of Ottawa.
He was accepted into the Quebec Bar on May 20, 1999 and at last count remains a lawyer in good standing.
How do he get approved?
Coolopolis and its many minions have attempted to find out how and why the Rizzuto ban was reversed with both the Quebec Bar, and the Professional Tribune.A clerk told they can find no documents detailing his successful appeal and they could find nothing that exists at the Quebec Superior Court or the Quebec Appeals Court.
While Rizzuto's driving habits as a young man under 25 were hardly praiseworthy, his perseverance in attaining his goal of becoming a lawyer - a status also enjoyed by his sister - is notable.
People acquainted with a younger Leonardo tell Coolopolis that he was a gentle soul who did not have a mob-boss personality, something hold now-deceased older brother Nicolo Jr. seemed closer to.
Rizzuto was arrested in a sweeping bust on Nov. 19, along with an entire who's who of the familiar local characters including Salvatore Cazzetta, Gregory Wooley, Stefano Sollecito, as well as lawyer Loris Cavalieri,
The nature of the evidence against the accused remains unknown, other than that it based on an investigation that started in 2013. Rizzuto has been kept behind bars pending a bail hearing.
The proof against Maurice "Mom" Boucher, also arrested on Nov. 19, appears to have been taken from conversations he allegedly had with his daughter visiting him in prison.
It will be interesting to see what case prosecutors produce.
Were wiretaps employed to gather evidence against the crew? Could police have been listening in on a recent gathering of the accused at Holt's a few weeks back? Will a high-profile mobster flip on the rest of them?
It shall be interesting to watch.