| Francesco Violi |
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| Francesco, the youngest of the infamous Violi brothers, was born in Sinopoli, near Reggio Calabria. He immigrated to Canada in the late 1950s, a few years after his brother Paolo. Continuing in the family tradition, Francesco became involved with criminal activities. When Paolo Violi relocated to Montreal and became involved with the Cotroni organization, he brought Francesco along as his primary enforcer and right-hand man. According to police, Francesco Violi was intensely feared in the underworld. He had a vicious temper that could be sparked with the slightest perceived threat. That's why when the Sicilians |
| targeted Paolo Violi, they knew the intelligent thing to do was to take out his brother first. On February 8, 1977, as Francesco sat behind his desk at Violi Importing & Distributing Ltd, two masked assailants entered brandishing firearms. He was backed against in the wall and shot in the face with a shotgun. The other attacker pumped several bullets into Violi to make sure he was indeed dead. He was 38 years old. Most of the city's elite underworld figures attended Francesco Violi's funeral, which consisted of 26 flower bearing automobiles. Less than a year later, his brother Paolo would suffer the same fate. Finally, on October 17, 1980, it was brother Rocco who was murdered by a sniper as he sat at home with his family. Francesco is burried along side his brothers in Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery. |