Danny De Gregorio an alleged lieutenant in the Montreal mafia was sentenced to 32 months behind bars for possession of a prohibited and loaded firearm without a permit.
He was shot three times coming out of a gym in St-Leonard which authorities believed was a failed mafia hit back in 2009. An investigation by Montreal police in February of 2011 led to his arrest on weapons charges although De Gregorio claimed to be carrying it only for protection. A search of his vehicle produced a loaded 9mm handgun which had the serial numbers removed, ammo, and a bulletproof vest. His 2011 arrest came just months after the murders of Nick Rizzuto the son of former Rizzuto crime family boss Vito Rizzuto and Agostino Contrera one of Vito’s closest associates.
“Danny De Gregorio”
The murders of Nick Rizzuto and Contrera was the beginning of what has become a long and bloody Montreal mafia war. According to authorities, De Gregorio had ties to now-deceased Rizzuto family leader Giuseppe De Vito. De Vito was believed to be part of the rival group challenging the Rizzuto clan’s leadership of the Montreal mob. Police in Montreal began tapping into it sources for information about anyone possibly tied to the mafia who may have been carrying firearms in an early effort to stop the violence. According to reports, a police informant told authorities that De Gregorio was carrying a loaded firearm in the glove compartment of his vehicle because of the attempt on his life and that he learned that a contract had been put on his life for being part of the conflict.
De Gregorio opted for a guilty plea back in 2014 instead of taking his chances at trial. Prosecutors were pushing for a sentence of between 42 and 48 months while the 48-year-old mobsters defense hoped for a sentence of 12-18 months. Quebec court judge Nathalie Fafard settled in the middle with the two years and eight-month sentence. This was the first time De Gregorio has been sentenced to prison despite his links to organized crime. Considering the current climate in the Montreal underworld and the continued bloodshed prison may end up being safer than the streets.
