Pat Musitano the alleged boss of Hamilton’s Musitano crime family has been released from the hospital after being shot four times in an apparent mafia hit.
He was rushed to the hospital on April 25th after being gunned down outside of his lawyer’s office in Mississauga. According to reports one of the shots hit him in the head landing him in critical condition. Somehow he survived but he’s still in the middle of a bloody fight for control of the local underworld. The Hamilton mafia war has claimed lives from multiple mob families and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the violent conflict. While Pat may have survived the latest attempt on his life it remains unclear as to whether or not the Musitano family can do the same. When it comes to the mafia in Canada things are definitely changing!
“Pat Musitano”
Pat and his brother Angelo Musitano who was gunned down in 2017 took control of the Calabrian crime family after the death of their father in 1995. It didn’t take long for them to showcase their ambitions ordering hits on rival Papalia crime family boss Johnny Papalia and the families Niagara captain Carmen Barillaro clearing the way for them to take over. Their rise to the top of the Hamilton mafia was helped along with the backing of Vito Rizzuto and the powerful Rizzuto crime family in Montreal. The Rizzuto’s had taken out mafia boss Paolo Violi who was tied into Hamilton’s Luppino crime family by marriage allowing them to take control of the Montreal Mafia. It made sense for them to then form an alliance with rivals of the Luppino family in Hamilton.
With Papalia out of the way and the Rizzuto’s as their allies, the Musitano family was able to surpass the Papalia’s and Luppino’s and take control of the local underworld. But the ongoing Montreal Mafia war and the death of Vito severely weakened the once mighty Rizzuto family leading to instability in Montreal. This has caused a ripple effect that has seemingly carried over to Hamilton. The Musitano’s made plenty of enemies on their way to the top and when it comes to the mafia its never forgotten. The opportunity to make a play against the Musitano’s had suddenly presented itself.
It seemed clear after the 2017 hit against Angelo that the Musitano families grip in Hamilton could be coming to an end. The families Montreal allies were no longer in a position to help, leaving them exposed and open to attacks from rival factions. So who decided to make a move and take down the Musitano family? The murder of Cece Luppino (covered here) the son of Luppino family leader Rocco Luppino in January seemed to indicate that the Luppino’s may have been responsible and the Musitano’s had decided to strike back. This seems like the most likely scenario although it may be a bit more complex.
Many believe it may simply be payback for past transgressions leading to an old fashioned mob turf war. But there have been some other interesting developments which point to the possibility that other factions may have also had a hand in things. A secretly recorded conversation from 2017 between a mob turncoat and Hamilton-based mobster Domenico Violi included talk of the Musitano family. The wired up mole told Violi “he would have thought that ‘they’ would have gotten rid of Pat before his brother Ang.” Violi then stated that he thought “they” wanted to show Pat and it was a message according to court documents. He went on to say that “they” told him that before Christmas Pat would be gone and that would be one headache out the way.
There is now plenty of speculation as to exactly who “they” of which Violi speaks of actually are. During another recorded conversation Violi claims to have been made underboss of the Buffalo Mafia family. According to him, he was put into place by alleged boss Joseph Todaro Jr. after his appointment was approved by the Mafia Commission in New York. The status to the mafia in Buffalo has been a hot topic of debate recently and many now wonder if the once thought to be defunct family could still be active in both the U.S. and Canada. The Buffalo and Luppino crime families have long-standing ties. Could “they” be a modern-day Todaro-Luppino family alliance?
It also seems possible that a new player may be on the scene in Hamilton looking to take control. Perhaps a rival Ndrangheta mafia clan from Ontario or elsewhere that sensed weakness in the region and decided to step in and take advantage. Could a criminal organization outside of the Italian Mafia like the powerful Hells Angels biker gang also have a hand in things as they also try to take advantage of the current instability? It may be a combination of different factions that have formed new alliances and want to change the landscape of organized crime across Canada in the Post Vito Rizzuto era. While there isn’t enough information to support any one of these theories at the moment it doesn’t change the fact that any one of them could still be proven correct.
There could be more violence and bloodshed on the way as the fight for control continues. For now, we have more questions than answers but if the Musitano crime family era comes to an end there may be some clarity after seeing who steps in to take control.
