# Domenic Racco

Domenic Racco (1952-9 December 1983) was a Canadian gangster.

## Heir apparent

Racco was born in Siderno, Calabria, Italy shortly before his family moved to Canada. His father, Michele Racco was the Capocrimine ("boss of bosses") of the 'Ndrangheta in Toronto, and Racco was groomed to be his father's heir. Racco was by all accounts a spoiled and arrogant young man with a massive sense of entitlement who was widely disliked by those who knew him. The Canadian criminologist Steven Schneider described Racco as "impulsive, erratic, and ill tempered" whose rash actions "woudl trigger a cycle of events taht would irreversibly confirm the existence of the 'Ndrangheta in Toronto".
In April 1971, Racco was one of the "youths of honor" (the 'Ndrangheta term for children of its leaders) formally induced into "the Honored Society". His social circle consisted almost entirely of fellow 'Ndranghetista. On 19 July 1971, Racco was in front of a bowling ally on Yonge Street in Toronto along with two other "youths of honor", Joseph Deleo and Frank Commisso, which became involved in a verbal dispute with another group of youths. The dispute had started over some cigarettes. Roy McMurtry, the future Ontario Attorney-General who defended Deleo at the subsequent trial stated the dispute was an ethnic one between "the Glaswegians", the local term for working class Scottish teenagers newly arrived in Canada from Glasgow vs. the "youths of honor". Inflaming the dispute was the use of anti-Italian slurs by the Scotsmen. The dispute ended with "the Glaswegians" expelling the "youths of honor" from the shopping plaza. Angry at being insulted, Racco returned to the shopping plaza with a handgun, and opened fire with six shots, wounding three men. On 30 July 1971, the Toronto police service arrested and charged Commissio and Deleo for their role in the shooting incident. Using the search for Racco as an excuse, the police arrested several members of the Siderno group, finding guns, explosives and counterfeit money in their homes. While searching the home of the 'Ndranghetista Francesco Caccamo, the police found in his kitchen a 27 page document outlining the rules of the 'Ndrangheta. The document, written in an old-fashioned Calabrian Italian in antiquated script was entitled Come Formare una Società ("How To Form a Society"). The preamble read "my stomach is a tomb, my mouth a bleated work of humility". A 1972 article in the Globe & Mail called the document "a tangle of centuries old archaic Italian, the phrases laced with flowery, mystic imagery dealing with such matters as collecting opinions from society members, punishing members who don't surrender their guns at meetings, catechism-like initiation rituals and the proper words to be used when separating a member from a group".
Afterwards, Racco fled to New York and returned to Toronto on 25 August 1971 after his arrest. Racco was convicted of three counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. While serving his sentence at Collins Bay medium security prison, Racco was a privileged prisoner who always sat at the top of a table and frequently told others that was going to be next capcrimine of Toronto. A prisoner who disrespected him paid with his life. Albert Little Bear, a First Nations inmate who insulted him was attacked in the shower, being stabbed and later bled to death. A 1975 report by the Toronto police stated that Racco was "being groomed to become a major Mafia leader". In 1976, a report to Solicitor-General complained that there had been a lobbying campaign to have Racco released early. In 1976, he was found guilty of conspiring from within Collins Bay to have his brother-in-law, Tony Commisso, shot in the legs for supposedly assisting the police in their investigation of him in 1971, Racco hired Frank Archino Jr. and George Mickley to give a "real good beating" to Commisso. The plot was stopped when the police pulled over the car of Archino and Mickely and found a handgun. Found inside of the car was a letter in Racco's handwriting saying: "If possible-just a real good beating without doing anything else. If not possible-then just GO ahead as Originally Planned. Blast the legs. But remember NO HIGHER than the LEGS. IMPORTANT-NO DEATH!" In November 1976, Racco was charged with conspiracy to commit assault after Archino turned Crown's evidence. Archino told the police that he had no choice, but to follow Racco's orders "for the honor of the family" with the "family" being what he called "Italian, the organization". At the preliminary hearing in March 1977, Racco made a series of 'Ndrangheta hand gestures in the courtroom that symbolized death, which led to Archino changing his testimony as he denied that he been hired to harm Commisso. A number of thugs from the Siderno group occupied the front rown of the courtroom to stare menacingly at Archino. As Racco laughed in the courtroom, the judge dismissed the charges.
Racco was released early on parole, and he settled in with his parents, who lived in an apartment above their bakery on St. Clair Avenue West, though alsp spent much time with his girlfriend in west Toronto. Racco was released on 12 October 1978. Racco was usually seen up late in the bars and restaurants of the Yorkville district, where he was known as a cocaine dealer. The journalists Peter Edwards and Michel Auger wrote that Racco was "a hot-tempered individual who would retaliate violently against what he considered to be the smallest slight". In 1979, he was involved in a very bloody street fight against someone who he felt had insulted him. Despite dozens of witnesses, none were willing to testify. Racco was well known as a cocaine addict. As he was in his deathbed at a hospital dying of cancer, Michaele Racco asked for Johnny Papalia to look after his son and keep him away from cocaine.

## Capocrimine

In 1980 after his father had died of cancer, Racco replaced him as the leader of his 'Ndrangheta clan. Racco was said to be responsible for several murders. Police sources called Racco one of the most dangerous men in Toronto. On 28 October 1980, he was involved in a dispute with a Graham Brown at a nightclub with whom he accused of making sexual advances upon his girlfriend Brown was shot dead while jogging on 22 November 1980. On 3 April 1981, a small businessman, Anthony Spadafora, who refused to pay extortion money to him went missing. Spadafora's corpse was found in October 1981. On 22 September 1982, one of Racco's subordinates, Matteo Pietro Arcuri, went missing after he was accused of stealing. Arcuri's corpse was never found. On 22 February 1983, a businessman , Mario Chiappetta who refused to pay extortion money was shot leaving his home. He died of blood-loss on the way, to the hospital. Racco had ties with Frank Cotroni of Montreal. He brought cocaine and heroin from him, being one of the biggest traffickers in the greater Toronto area. Racco sold drugs to Satan's Choice.
As a boss, Racco spent so much of his money on feeding his cocaine addiction that he into a $500, 000 debt by 1983 to Domenic Musitano, the boss of the Musitano family of Hamilton. Papalia attempted to serve as a mentor to Racco, but was rebuffed. Papalia complained with disgust that Racco during a dinner with him kept rushing off to the washroom to snort cocaine. In February 1982, Racco was arrested after some $200, 000 worth of cocaine was found in his possession. Racco was able to make bail, and came to hold a grunge against Roy McMurtry who was now serving as the Ontario Attorney-General, whom he believed had singled him out. McMurtry was forced to take police protection for a period of time following rumors that Racco was looking to hire a hitman to kill him.
In the fall of 1983, Racco was trying to remortgage the bakery he inherited from his father to repay Musitano. At the same time, police wiretaps revealed that the Musitano brothers were planning to kill "the one from Toronto", whose name they never revealed. In a wiretapped phone to Musitano on 31 October 1983, Racco asked for "patience" as he tried to remortgage the bakery while Musitano was heard to say "it's gone real beyond patience now". Musitano's brother, Anthony, who had been imprisoned earlier in 1983 for a series of bombing between 1978 and 1980, was serving his sentence at Millhaven maximum security prison, where he recruited a bank robber, Billy Rankin, to serve as a hitman once he was released. On 7 December 1983, Rankin was released from Millhaven after completing his sentence, and met on the evening of the same day with Domenic Musitano at a coffee shop at the Holiday Inn in Oakville to discuss the murder contract against Racco. Mositano's nephew, Giuseppe Avigone paid Rankin $20, 000 dollars in exchange for killing Racco. Rankin is alleged to have hired two of his criminal associates, Graham Court and Dennis Monaghan, to actually commit the murder.
On 9 December 1983, Racco picked up a cheque for $21, 506.97 from the proceeds of the sale of a vacant lot of land his family owned, which he cashed at the National Bank of Canada. He also picked up a certified cheque in his name for $8, 000. He was last seen alive at the Toronto office of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, where Racco checked in at 8: 48 pm per his bail conditions. He was murdered that night, and the next morning his corpse was found besides a railroad with five bullet holes in it, three in the head and two in the heart. The police suspected the Musitano brothers right from the start, now the least because Avigone went to see the lawyer Edward Greenspan to ask him to cash the $8, 000 certified cheque that Racco had in his possession at the time of his murder, a request that Greenspan refused. On 22 December 1983, Rankin was in an automobile incident caused by him driving drunk, and his car had stolen license plates. The car he was driving was registered to D & M Scrapyard, the business of Domenic Musitano. Rankin's friend, Peter Majeste, was discovered to be driving without a driver's license. The car he was driving matched the description of the car that was parked outside of Racco's apartment on the night he was murdered. Found inside of Majeste's car were wool fibers from the coat that Racco was wearing he was killed. On 20 March 1984, Rankin, Avigone, and the Musitano brothers were all arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Found inside of Domenic Musitano's house was the murder weapon, a .38 Smith & Weston handgun, which ballestics tests revealed was the gun that was used to kill Racco.
Anthony Musitano and William Rankin were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and were sentenced to 12 years in prison. Domenic Musitano was convicted of being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to six years in prison. Giuseppe Avigone was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to five years in prison. Graham Court and Dennis Monaghan were convicted of first degree murder on 18 November 1991, but their convictions were overturned on appeal. Monaghan and Court were charged on the basis of evidence collected by a Hamilton drug dealer in 1989 who was facing serious charges and agreed to turn Crown's evidence in exchange for a lesser sentence. Justice Stephen Glithero accused the Crown of "flagrant and intentional misconduct" in acquitting Monaghan and Court in June 1997. Court was later deported back to his native United Kingdom, which he had left as a five year old. On 3 April 1998, the Ontario Provincial Police stated that the force could not find no evidence of misconduct. The journalist Steve Buist described the convictions of Mohaghan and Court for the murder of Racco as one of the worse miscarriages of justice in Ontario's history.

## Books

* Edwards, Peter; Auger, Michel (2004). The Encyclopedia of Canadian Organized Crime. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-3044-4.
* Humphreys, Adrian (1999). The Enforcer:Johnny Pops Papalia, A Life and Death in the Mafia. Toronto, Canada: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-200016-4.
* Jones, Michael (October 1984). "Domenic Racco: Portrait of a gangster". Inside Toronto. 4 (8): 14–44.
* Langton, Jerry (2015). Cold War How Organized Crime Works in Canad and Why It's About to Get More Violent. Toronto: HarperColllins. ISBN 978-1-4434-3255-9.
* McMurtry, Roy (2013). Memoirs and Reflections. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442616622.
* Schneider, Stephen (2009). Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada (2nd ed.). Toronto: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0470835005.