Thursday, September 21, 2017

Cosimo Commisso nailed in “Project Briscola”

A routine traffic stop led Toronto police to a multi-national organized crime investigation that has resulted in charges against a dozen people, including Cosimo Commisso. Commisso, 72, is charged with possession of proceeds of crime following “Project Briscola” which drew together investigators from Canada, the United States and Australia.

Commisso was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes in the 1980s and remains on police radar as one of the heads of an "Italian-based traditional organized crime group." The Commisso clan has a branch in the Greater Toronto Area, which is part of the wider Siderno Group.

Giuseppe Gatti, 48
The investigation began in August 2015 when Giuseppe Gatti, 48, was arrested on a charge of impaired driving. Gatti was carrying $10,000 in cash and credit cards in a number of different names. The investigation led police to a scheme in which lenders were defrauded of over $11 million.

Investigators eventually tracked payments to an account controlled by Commisso. He “did not initially come up in the investigation” say police. Charged with fraud over $5,000 and participation in a criminal organization are Gatti; Faisal Iqbal Qureshi, 42; Tarragh Bracken, 47; Darrell Shulman, 49, Mary Sophie Kaloczi, 35; Maurizio Adiletta, 53, and Pino “Frank” Guido, 53. Charged with fraud over $5,000 are Eric Thomas, 57, Sanjeev Mannan, 48, Laura Tolosa, 37 and Ravinder Bedi, 54.

Faisal Iqbal Qureshi, 42