Francesco Arcadi a former leader of the Montreal mafia has once again been released from prison to a halfway house.
The 63-year-old mobster became the interim leader of the Rizzuto crime family back in 2004 after the arrest of now deceased godfather Vito Rizzuto. He was arrested in 2006 along with other high ranking members of the Rizzuto family in an RCMP strike called Operation Colosseum. He was sentenced to 11 years behind bars in 2008 and was first released on parole back in 2016 for a short time before being sent back to prison. He was put back behind bars for his own safety after one of his former top lieutenants Lorenzo Giordano was gunned down just weeks after himself being released to a halfway house leading authorities to believe Arcadi was also in danger.
“Francesco Arcadi”
When Arcadi was released back in 2016 he told the Parole Board he had no fear for his safety and he was looking forward to living a quiet life at home maintaining a garden and raising animals. But according to authorities he and Giordano had put the word out the year before that they intended to take back control of the mafia in Montreal upon their release. Arcadi and Francesco Del Balso another of his former lieutenants who was recently released on parole are the only survivors from the group of six Rizzuto family leaders arrested in Operation Colosseum. Del Balso was the likely target of a home invasion at his Laval home just days ago which led to members of his family being attacked and has since been sent back to prison for not wearing his electronic tracking bracelet as reported in a previous article here at About the Mafia.
Arcadi still has two years of probation left to complete his 11-year sentence and will have to adhere to several conditions while living at the halfway house. He will not be allowed to communicate with anyone involved with organized crime or to frequent any establishments linked or associated with the mafia. Many believe that Arcadi is a marked man as the bloody Montreal mafia war remains unsettled and is likely to be targeted by his rivals. The Giordano murder and the Del Balso attack have proven that being under the watchful eye of authorities and the stern parole restrictions does little to assure one’s safety.
