| Robert Paradis |
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| Robert Paradis, born in the mid 1960s, is the younger brother of famous informant Peter Paradis, a Rock Machine leader who testified against members of his own gang. Like his brother, Robert Paradis joined the Montreal Chapter of the Rock Machine, later absorbed into the international Bandidos Motorcycle Club. On December 7, 1995, the Paradis brothers, as well as fellow Rock Machine Johnny Plescio, were reportedly involved in a brawl with members of a Hells Angels affiliate biker club at the Montreal courthouse. The three were arrested, along with Pal Magnan and Luc Gauthier, two members of the Jokers gang. In late September, 1998, police, based on information that they might find weapons, raided an apartment on Bannantyne Street in Verdun. The Paradis brothers and Daniel Leclerc, who were in the apartment at the time, tried to escape by the back door, but were apprehended. |
Police seized three weapons and small amounts of hashish and marijuana. Two women and three children were also in the apartment at the time of the raid. On May 5, 1999, Paradis was walking on a street in Verdun when a man with his head down approached him. Paradis became suspicious and turned to run. The man pulled a gun and shot Paradis in the back. The biker fell to the ground and his assailant put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. The gun had jammed. The would-be assassin fled. The Paradis brothers had both recently survived botched murder attempts. Things were getting hot and they supposedly went into hiding in Ottawa. The following year, Robert Paradis’ older brother Peter was arrested with eight others on drug trafficking charges. He became a government informant and testified against his co-defendants. All eight were found guilty, four of which were also convicted of gangsterism. In mid-May, 2001, Robert Paradis, fellow Bandido Serge “Merlin” Cyr, and two others visited the Chez Parée strip club on Stanley street in Montreal. They sat down and ordered drinks. Paradis and Cyr were reportedly wearing their Bandidos colors, a detail that did not go unnoticed to a group of about ten strong who entered the establishment. A fight ensued. By the time police arrived, the larger group had fled. Paradis had been slightly injured, according to news reports, while Cyr supposedly had a fractured nose. They refused to cooperate with police. The next night, two individuals attempted to firebomb the bar while it was packed with clients. The death toll could have been catastrophic, but the bomb tossed into the establishment failed to spread. The Rock Machine/Bandidos organization received a devastating blow in June, 2002, when police arrested over 60 members and associates in a series of raids across Quebec and Ontario. Among those charged were Robert Paradis and other prominent members Jean “Le Français” Duquaire, Serge “Merlin” Cyr, Alain Brunette, and André “Dédé” Désormeaux. On April 4, 2003, Paradis and two other members of the Bandidos – Pietro Barilla and Joshium Desroches - pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to traffic in drugs and gangsterism. Paradis was sentenced to four years in prison. Taking into account the time served since his arrest, Paradis is left with 28 months. Peter Paradis had been scheduled to testify against his brother. |