Santino Ruiz

Manny Montana as Santino

Santino is the son of mobster Manny Ruiz, and now head of the Ruiz mob family. He comes to Port Charles to make a name for himself and pick up where his father left off.

## Early Life

Santino was raised primarily by his mother. Manny was in and out of his life for the first five years before disappearing all together. For months, he couldn't help but wonder what he had done wrong --- after all, something made his father stop coming around. It wasn't until his uncle Mateo arrived to break the tragic news that his father was dead that Santino finally understood what had happened. From then on, Manny Ruiz would cast a long shadow over his life and Santino would do whatever he could to fill it.

After Manny’s death, the Ruiz family splintered into smaller factions, headed by others.  His mother, Elena, did her best to keep Santino from following in his father’s footsteps but she faced an uphill battle.  Santino had romanticized his father and his father’s legacy.  By the time he was a teenager, he was getting himself in trouble — petty crime that became a gateway for more serious things.  When he turned twenty, he already had an impressive rap sheet and managed to evade the worst of the law.

Santino had a goal: to resurrect the Ruiz family organization.  When that was done, he would go to Port Charles to take down the people that killed his father.  It took years to build the reputation and organization needed to be viable competition for the mob families that already had a foothold in Port Charles.  Along the way he lost people who were important to him (his mother gave up on him, his one serious relationship broke things off) but it was worth it to him

## Infiltrating Port Charles

Santino arrived in Port Charles with his burgeoning mob faction behind him (including his loyal right hand man Samuel). They set up a headquarters in an old warehouse just outside of town. From there he assessed his competition and devised a plan. However, he was a little cocky and found himself on the wrong end of a knife.

Bleeding heavily, Santino made his way to General Hospital and waited at the employee entrance. When Sabrina Santiago emerged after a shift, Santino took her hostage. He forced her to drive to the warehouse and patch her up. Finding out that she had a son, he used that to keep her under control. She was able to patch up the wound. Santino found himself impressed at how well she held herself under pressure. He even sent her flowers as a thank you.

After he was healed, Santino resumed his plans to take on the other Port Charles factions. He wanted to lay eyes on Johnny Zacchara so he visited the The Haunted Star. Unfortunately, Johnny was otherwise occupied but in the end that turned out to be a plus. Santino found himself intrigued by Maya Hargrove and the two got hot and heavy quite quickly. In the end, Santino was left alone after Maya left him to go help her brother. He was frustrated but intrigued. He certainly hoped that he would run into Maya again. After all she had promised to make it up to him.

## Personality

Santino has worked hard to emulate what he thinks his father stood for. He carries himself with a kind of bravado that might get him in trouble more often than not. He has a huge chip on his shoulder and a hefty dose of unchecked grief that has made him the way he is. He uses sarcasm as a shield and is a bit of a flirt. But underneath it all, he can care and care deeply. He just needs the right motivation.

## Important Relationships

* Manny Ruiz: His father and definitely his guiding purpose in life. He idolized the man and misses him dearly. He might have placed him a pedestal, and have a rose colored view of his life. He wants to avenge his father and has let that control his life.
* Elena Garcia: His mother. She has tried to guide him into a better life and is disappointed (mostly in herself) that she was unable to do so. She still loves her son despite everything he has done and is praying that he won't end up in a body bag.
* Mateo Ruiz: Like his mother, his uncle has tried to persuade Santino into a better life.

## Crimes Committed

* Petty theft: as a child would often shoplift from stores
* Stole a car as teen
* Various assault charges as a teen
* Shot a man; escaped attempted murder charges
* Killed various people and hid their bodies
* Smuggled drugs into the country
* Sold stolen weapons
* Kidnapped Sabrina Santiago

## Health and Vitals

* Beaten up various times
* Grazed by a bullet on his shoulder
* Stabbed in his side