The Luppino Clan of Hamilton, Ontario

In a scene worthy and reminiscent of The Godfather, back in the late 1960s, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), hid several recording devices among Luppino’s beloved tomato plants in the backyard of his home. Within hours of their installation, investigators were getting an earful of the classic, often colorful opinions of one of the most important Italian-born racket bosses Canada ever had.

Giacomo Luppino was born in the village of Oppido Mamertina, Calabria, Italy, back in 1900. By his late teens it is said that he was already hustling on the streets of his neighborhood of Castellace.

In time, he would become an important member of the N’drangheta which is very prominent in his hometown, and a recognized power of the overall Calabrian mafia, both in Italy and Canada.

Giacomo (Don Giacomino) Luppino

Not much was ever really uncovered about his early life back in Calabria. It is only with his arrival to Canada that we start to track his movements and career.

In 1955, an already middle-aged Luppino immigrated with his wife Domenica (nee’ Todaro), and their large brood of ten children to the city of Hamilton, in Southern Ontario, Canada. He would soon make this adopted city his own. It is the place he and his family would reside at for the remainder of their lives.

Giacomo and Domenica soon bought a quaint little brick home on Ottawa Street South in East Hamilton. He would reside in this waterfront port town for the rest of his days.

Over the years, his pervasive, growing influence slowly allowed him to take control of a large portion of the territory in the Hamilton and greater Toronto area. A power that even today, over sixty years later, Luppino’s surname is still recognized and respected by the city’s underworld.

The city of Hamilton, Ontario

By virtue of its proximity and wealth of natural assets, early into its history Canada had become the playground of the Mafia. Both as a safe haven for fugitives from Italian and American justice and to establish themselves, Italian racketeers of every size and stripe had attempted to stake claims to various territories there.

And although Sicilians and Napolitani would also control sections of the country, it was, and still is, the Calabrian underworld that was imported directly from the shores of the city of Reggio Calabria and its outlying areas, who would always dominate Canadian organized crime.

In fact, by the time Giacomo Luppino had immigrated to Hamilton, many major Calabrian hoodlums had already been established into the country’s street rackets for decades already.

Notorious names like Rocco Perri, Antonio (Tony Ross) Sylvestro, Santo Scibetta, and Calogero (Charlie) Bordonaro, among many others all planted flags, but they were still mostly subordinate to their counterparts in the American based Mafia.

Original Calabrian power Rocco Perri

But despite other Calabrian criminals already having planted flags there, or maybe because of it, Luppino was almost immediately welcomed. He soon formed his own “cell” of N’drangheta members, which in time with the aggressive recruitment of like-minded hoodlums to its ranks would become a full-fledged crime Family.

Early on, he also allied himself with the Sicilian Mafia, better known as Cosa Nostra. Not in Canada per se, but rather the mafia groups based in the United States.

But regardless of any affiliations with Cosa Nostra, he was a major power among the Calabrians in his own right.

He was documented on many occasions to have repeatedly met with such iconic Canadian racketeers as Rocco Zito, Michele (Mike) Racco, Cosimo and Remo Commisso and his brothers, and other top members of the Calabrian mob in control of Canada.

Rocco Zito

Boss - Cosimo (The Quail) Commisso

Remo Commisso

Michele (Mike) Racco

The Luppino’s were one of three recognized Ndrangheta clans who traditionally ruled the Hamilton, and Toronto territory. The other two crime groups, the Papalia and Musitano clans, being also prominent in the area.

Nobody knows for certain how the relationship first developed, but by at least the late 1950s he was considered a “capo di decina” in charge of a formal regime of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Family of Stefano Magaddino, one of the most respected mafiosi in all of Cosa Nostra.

Now, whether in fact he was a “formal” head of a Magaddino regime, or just closely affiliated with that borgata is anyone's guess. It was strongly suspected that he was in fact a “capo” of the Buffalo Family regime based in Hamilton.

The ties that bind New York & Canada

It has never been proven or documented one way or the other. But what is known and generally accepted as fact, is that Giacomo, or “Don Giacomino” as he was now being referred to, did indeed run his own separate “network” or “Clan,” but also fell under the overall purview of the American Mafia.

His power was thought to be much the same as Nicola (Nick) Rizzuto and his son Vito later had in Montreal. They basically ran their own borgata, but were “formally” recognized as but a single “regime” in charge of Montreal for the larger Bonanno Family of New York City.

So, too Luppino was thought to have headed his own small N’drangheta Family, but still consulted and took dictates from the larger, longer-established Buffalo-Niagara Falls Family, who had jurisdiction over the Hamilton and Toronto territories.

Although he still answered in part to Cosa Nostra, he was also a sitting member of what is essentially the Calabrian “Commission”, similar to what Cosa Nostra operates in New York City.

The “Camera di Controllo” is the Calabrian equivalent. It is the regulatory body of all top bosses in the Canada area for the N’drangheta.

And as the recognized boss of his area, Luppino was said to have been an important founding member of this structure, helping to form the first sitting commission back in the early 1960s.

As best as it could be ascertained by federal and local Canadian authorities, these Calabrian gangs or “cells” took their design from the basic structure of their “mother” network back in Calabria. There are many small networks, all seemingly interlocking with one another across Canada that have an unbroken umbilical cord attached to their homeland of Calabria.

For lack of a better word, these “crews” or “locali” as they are referred to back in Reggio Calabria, are more often than not small groupings of N’dranghetista operating semi-independently of one another, yet they cooperate and recognize one another accordingly as well. Sometimes they work in tandem, sometimes they are at odds with one another.

Yet, they are all a part of a much larger entity and underworld mosaic back home in Southern Italy.

Out of the Mouth of a Mafioso

In a scene worthy and reminiscent of The Godfather , back in the late 1960s, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), hid several recording devices among Luppino’s beloved tomato plants in the backyard of his home. Within hours of their installation, investigators were getting an earful of the classic, often colorful opinions of one of the most important Italian-born racket bosses Canada ever had.

They would listen in and simultaneously record Luppino talking about a wide variety of subjects. Anything from how the Toronto Maple Leaf’s were playing, to potential ways to earn money in the Canadian underworld. It was like a scene straight out of a mobster movie such as the dark comedy “Prizzi’s Honor.”

He gave his opinion about one man whom he considered to be a rank coward, And voiced his contempt for another whom Luppino felt didn’t respect traditional family values the way he should.

About the coward, he voiced: “I told him what kind of a half a man is he?”

Luppino recounted, “If I have to go do something in fear, I’ll go and drown myself in the lake. I told him that if a man is weak and has to do things because of fear, and these things are wrong, then it’s much better for him to kill himself.” ….. “I told him if they want, they should kill me. Because I say so. And if they should kill me, I’ll always spit in their faces and tell them they are “dishonerate” (the dishonored)."

These recordings also picked up the voice of Paolo Violi chatting with his shadowy father-in-law in the garden.

Paolo Violi at the height of his power

On one recording Violi is captured saying “that he is going to warn the man in Toronto to say away from a married woman who has three children.”

He continued, “I’m going to tell this person to stay away or he will either be killed, or severely beaten as a result.”

On another tape, Luppino was caught telling his wife that he and their son Jimmy had recently met with boss Stefano Magaddino, at his Magaddino Funeral Chapel in Buffalo, to discuss Paolo Volpe.

Giacomo recited to Domenica how “Magaddino had told Jimmy that if he went with, or had dealing with Paul Volpe to be very careful. That he will cheat you, or see to it that you land in jail. Magaddino also mentioned that Volpe had once also cheated him of money.”

The Luppino family tree

Comprised mainly of many blood family members as well as close amici, which is the format of the Calabrian underworld, the Luppino crime Family had a small membership of possibly no more than maybe 20-25 members at best.

Yet, because of allied affiliates, as well as their close connection to Steve Magaddino, they were able to rule their territory for many decades, and were in fact largely recognized as the bosses of Hamilton. It is a relationship that continues to this very day.

“Don Giacomo” Luppino directed his minions into several varied rackets, the most popular of which were gambling, usury, extortion and shakedowns, frauds, narcotics trafficking, and the counterfeiting of both Canadian and United States currency.

Over the years, they also quietly infiltrated such legitimate institutions as Toronto’s garbage industry, and the construction industry, enabling the rigging of contracts among the various Calabrian mafia groups in the area.

The Luppinos were augmented by several members of their group who later rose in prominence and influence with Giacomo’s help. Names such as John (Johnny Pops) Papalia and his brother, Paolo (Paul) Volpe, Rocco.

Capo - John (Johnny Pops) Papalia

Frank and Paolo (Paul) Violi, and others would all operate in unison, and sometimes in competition with one another during their history.

In fact, Paul Violi, who had immigrated from Italy in 1951 at the age of 20, later ended up marrying Giacomo’s daughter Grazia in 1965, thereby cementing Violi’s power, as well as the hierarchy and future of this group.

Luppino later introduced his five sons into “the life” as well: Vincenzo (Jimmy) Luppino, and his four brothers Antonio (Tony), Rocco, Natale (Nat), and John all became members.

Vincenzo (Jimmy) Luppino

These men and other of their blood relatives would become the later foundation of this crime Family as it progressed. To this day, authorities say that Rocco Luppino is indeed a top-ranking member of this group.

Luppino himself was the quintessential, old-styled mafia boss from the hills of Southern Italy.

His image and appearance, as well as his demeanor, was that of a low-key and quiet, reserved mafioso. He dressed in the most inexpensive and plain attire one could imagine.

An onlooker would not glance at him twice when passing him on the street. He looked like a lowly farm worker, or just another poor, elderly Italian man tending to his vegetable garden.

It was common to see him in a dirty old pair of pants, button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and a turned-up fedora hat, sitting on the front porch of his house in a wooden chair.

A quiet Italian retiree, and mafioso

He gave off a very disarming appearance at best. And that is exactly the way Luppino liked and designed it. He operated in the same style as many old-timers, staying nearly invisible to the public.

But despite his genteel outward appearance, he was said to have been cold, calculating and deadly as the need arose. Underworld legend has it that Luppino allegedly carried around the dried up, sliced off ear of a rival for many years, flattened into the billfold of his wallet as a souvenir.

His crime Family shared power in the city of Hamilton with two other N’dranghetista networks: the Musitano’s and the Papalia’s. These three groups were both allies and rivals at various times in their history.

Born in 1931 in Sinopoli, Calabria, his future son-in-law Paolo Violi became a perfect example of the complex and sometimes murky relationships that was Canadian organized crime.

He started with his father-in-law Luppino in Hamilton, but would eventually expand into Montreal and ally with fellow Calabrian Vincenzo (Vic) Cotroni who led a vibrant regime, which was part of the larger Bonanno Family of New York.

Side Note: Mob legend has it that Violi’s move to Montreal was a direct order by Luppino in order to avoid conflict with Johnny Papalia, another Calabrian power who was also allied with the Magaddino Family, who vied for power over Hamilton’s racket operations as well.

Caporegime - Paolo Violi

Paul Violi became so close to, and trusted by Cotroni, that in time Violi was named “Acting Caporegime”, second only to Cotroni himself in power and influence. He was said to have been a very ballsy guy, who ruled with an iron-hand until his execution at his gelato cafe in January of 1978.

His murder was thought to have been at the hands of a Sicilian faction led by Rizzuto. Violi’s murder helped pave the way for the “House of Rizzuto” to take control of the Bonanno’s large Montreal regime. By the early 1970s, the Cotroni regime was under seize by rivals, primarily the Sicilians.

Already getting older and a bit long in the tooth, Vic Cotroni stepped back allowing his protege’ Violi to fill the void. That also meant bringing him into a direct, deadly conflict with Rizzuto.

Violi’s brothers Francesco and Rocco would also be killed in this protracted conflict. It essentially became a “house cleaning” of the Calabrian hoods in power, to make way for the Sicilians to take over.

With his murder, Violi’s young wife and two sons (only 8 and 11 years old respectively at the time of their father's death) were welcomed back into the open arms of her father Giacomo, who brought his daughter and little grandsons back to live with him in Hamilton.

Giacomo seen here in his senior years

From that time forward, he and his five sons (the boys' uncles) would all serve as their father figures. Grandfather Giacomo made sure the family raised and watched over the boys like the true patriarch he was. Giacomo’s sons became extra close, as dear uncles to their sister’s innocent children.

Giacomo (Don Giacomino) Luppino lived to the comfortable age of 88 years old, dying of natural causes in 1988. By that time, his eldest sons Vincenzo (Jimmy) Luppino and Natale (Nat) had already taken over most Luppino Family operations.

Giacomo Luppino’s funeral in 1987

In his senior years, Giacomo had served more as the consigliere and advisor of their Family. In fact, he was said to have served as a sort of “de facto” consigliere for all three N’drangheta clans operating in the City of Hamilton and overall Toronto area.

In future years and decades, most of his decedents would all continue the Luppino family tradition to some degree. With that of course came the occasional arrests and violence so often associated with the mob.

Jimmy and Natale Luppino

Antonio (Tony) Luppino as he exits a federal courthouse in Canada.

Two of his sons, Antonio (Tony) and Giovanni (John) Luppino, were jailed in 1977 after a business fraud conviction related to a pasta distribution company they owned. They were both jailed a second time in 1982, after they were nabbed in an extortion case.

Son Natale was jailed in 1974 after being hauled before an investigative grand jury probing threats of violence and shakedowns regarding the construction industry, which he had operated in partnership with fellow mob figure Paul Volpe.

Natale (Nat) Luppino

He was caught in several lies during this sworn testimony and subsequently jailed on perjury counts.

In 1978, Rocco Luppino also had a problem after he was nabbed along with a partner Dominick Musitano of the nearby Musitano Family.

Clan boss - Dominick Musitano

They were both charged with multiple counts of extortion, and conspiracy to commit extortion, after law enforcement accused them of operating a far-flung “protection racket” in partnership with Angelo Natale, who was president of the Ontario Haulers Association.

Rocco Luppino

The racketeers had focused on “shaking down” various tractor-trailer carrier companies in Ontario’s trucking industry.

In 1981, brothers Tony and John Luppino teamed up again to commit several business frauds along with an associate of theirs named Gerard (Gerry) Fumo. They were later convicted and received jail terms of 15 months (Tony), 12 months (John), and 18 months (for Gerry), respectively… On the darker side of things, and a much more serious event was what unfortunately happened to another beloved nephew in the family.

Cece Luppino was the 43-year old son of Rocco Luppino, who was alleged by law enforcement to be a mob “capo” himself, and a cousin to Dom and Joe Violi (the sons of the murdered Paolo Violi).

CeCe Luppino (who was also Giacomo Luppino’s grandson) was ostensibly a legitimate Hamilton businessman; cafe owner, real estate agent and property investor, who was gunned down in the foyer of his own residence on Mountain Brow Boulevard as recently as 2019.

Murder victim - Cece Luppino

The killing is somewhat of a mystery because although CeCe had an intimate knowledge of his families mafia history, and had the ability to join the “family business” if he so desired as his father and so many other relatives did, it is said that CeCe wasn’t all that impressed with the idea of his membership into the mafia.

His logical thinking told him that he could earn as much, if not more, money on his own legitimately and not have to face the potential for investigations, arrests, convictions and jail that he’d seen his own father, uncles, cousins, and grandfather go through in their lifetimes.

CeCe figured he’d still had all the connections in the world through his Luppino family surname, and “juice” so to speak if he ever needed it.

But by staying away from the flame he hoped to live a simpler and safer life…. But alas, for whatever reason, it was not to be destiny’s path for CeCe Luppino.

Side Note: The circumstances surrounding CeCe’s murder are similar to another incident that happened to one of his uncles, capo Natale Luppino, in April of 2018, when three men forced their way into Natale’s home on Como Place. The intruders stabbed one of the home's occupants and then fled. Police theorized that Natale, who was home at the time but not hurt, may have been their true target.

Months later, a bunch of suspects in the home invasion and suspected robbery were nabbed in Montreal. But none could be directly tied to organized crime.

Cece Luppino was killed in the foyer of his family home

In recent years, after the death of Montreal boss Vito Rizzuto, the Rizzuto Family’s subsequent fall from power, and the loss of the steady hand that Vito previously had brought to their organized crime world, many various mob families and individual mobsters have all been jockeying and vying for power, with checkered success.

There has been a laundry-list of gangland-style slayings. Key members of several N’drangheta oriented networks also have suffered through the bloodshed. Bosses Angelo Musitano was murdered in 2017, his brother Pat Musitano was killed shortly thereafter in the summer of 2020.

1998, brothers Pat & Angelo Musitano

And they are but a few of a long list of top mafiosi and N’dranghetista that have been slaughtered in both the Toronto and Montreal areas in recent years.

In fact, dating back to 2004, when boss Vito Rizzuto was first indicted, extradited to the United States, tried, and jailed for 10 years on Rico murder conspiracy charges in 2007, the Canadian underworld has been in an upheaval the likes of which haven’t been seen since 1920s Chicago, or the infamous Castellammarese War of 1929-1931.

Literally, dozens and dozens of bodies have steadily littered Canada’s streets for upwards of 15 years. In recent times, turf wars between greedy gangsters have ruled the day.

Calabrians and Sicilians at odds in Montreal

As for Don Giacomo Luppino’s underworld heirs, nowadays, according to federal law enforcement, those two little grandsons Giacomo had helped raise after their fathers death, Domenico (Dom) and Giuseppe (Joe) Violi, allegedly presently run the remnants of the old Luppino-Violi Clan of Hamilton. They have also reputedly become high-ranking members of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Family.

It is now alleged by the FBI and their informants, that Dom Violi had been elevated since 2017 to serve as the Buffalo/Niagara Falls mob’s “official” underboss. It was said that in all their years of existence, this was the very first time that a Canadian-based member of the Family was ever named to such a high position in any American-based borgata.

These revelations came out several years back, in November of 2017, when the Violi brothers were indicted along with fourteen others, in a far-reaching racketeering indictment and investigation that authorities had named “Project O’Tremen’s.”

grandsons Dom and Joe Violi

The indictment accused the Violi brothers of controlling the movement and sale of millions of dollars of various narcotics, as well as cigarette smuggling, trafficking in firearms, and other racket schemes in concert with both the Buffalo mob, and Bonanno Family of New York City.

The two brothers still carry the considerable weight of the Luppino and Violi family surnames, as well as that of all the N’drangheta.

Their names are well known across both the International underworld, and in various law enforcement circles alike…. It is both a blessing and a curse, depending upon who is doing the evaluation. They each subsequently later pled guilty. Domenico received a solid 8 years in federal prison, while his brother Giuseppe really got slammed, receiving 16 years in prison…. But for the overall Canadian underworld, It was just another day in gangland.

(L-R) surveillance photo: Nat Luppino, Gerry Attard, Jimmy Luppino and Rocco Luppino

Because day by day, week after week, year after year, the Calabrian mafia, better known as the “N’drangheta,” quietly permeates all sectors of business and commerce, and is truly ingrained into the lives of the average Canadian citizenry. It is the same scenario as it’s been for well over the last 100 years in the country’s history.

But also take note that the quiet and unassuming, almost grandfatherly figure of “Don Giacomo” was indeed one of the most important, original “seeds” ever planted in Canada’s underworld soil. He helped to produce the fertilizer-rich earth and the racket base for future generations of the N’drangheta, as well as his Luppino Family, to survive and thrive to this very day!

In January of 2020, Canadian law enforcement authorities and local newspapers stated “Natale Luppino was “made” as the new “Don” of the notorious Hamilton crime family.” It said that he was born back in Calabria in 1941, and came to Hamilton at age 14.

He and his brother Rocco are still alive and are now at the helm of the Luppino clan.

The Luppino Clan of Hamilton, Ontario

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The Luppino Clan of Hamilton, Ontario

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