Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Toronto Mafia boss wins new parole hearing in latest appeal

Mafia boss Vincenzo “Jimmy” DeMaria has a strong track record of turning to the courts to fight for his rights. DeMaria, named as one of Ontario’s most influential mobsters, has won again, this time against the Parole Board of Canada for keeping him in prison.

The Federal Court has ordered the parole board to reconsider DeMaria’s parole application at a new hearing. DeMaria, 62, is on lifetime parole because of a second-degree murder conviction, a conditional freedom that is periodically yanked when he strays too close to his outlaw friends.

Marvin 'The Weasel' Eklind
His 1982 murder conviction came after he shot a man over a $2,000 debt. He claimed to have acted in self defence despite the fact his victim was shot seven times in the back. He was released on parole in 1992.

Authorities claim that he has progressed up the ranks of the ’Ndrangheta. He was named in court documents in Italy in 2010 as one of seven clan bosses controlling organized crime in the GTA. The parole board revoked his parole in 2014, declaring him an “undue risk to public safety.” He appealed that decision, lost, and then appealed to the Federal Court of Canada.

DeMaria has had several judicial wins over the years in lawsuits and legal complaints over his treatment. His appeals and suits are well funded and often backed by teams of lawyers and private investigators.