One of the most influential Mafiosi in the province was arrested Tuesday evening in Laval for having tried to extort nuns in a convent.
Francesco Del Balso, 52, could face various criminal charges on Wednesday, including extortion.
According to our information, Del Balso tried to recover jewelry that had been donated by his ex-wife a few years ago to a convent in the Chomedey district.
The former mobster’s wife would have donated several pockets of clothing inside which were jewelry worth several hundred thousand dollars, according to our sources.
For some unexplained reason, Francesco Del Balso would have suddenly wanted to recover these valuable goods at the beginning of the week.
On Monday, he would have presented himself at the presbytery of the Saint-Maxime Church to confront the priest. Seeing that the priest had no idea what Del Balso was referring to, the tone would have risen.
It was then that the mobster would have demanded a sum of $ 5,000 per week as reimbursement for the jewelry previously given by his ex-wife.
Church officials reportedly then contacted the Laval Police Department to file a complaint against Del Balso.
The latter was arrested and was to be questioned by investigators during the evening of Tuesday.
According to our information, several police officers are rubbing their hands of satisfaction following this “humiliating arrest” for Del Balso, yet recognized as a big name in organized crime.
Recognized for his hot temper, the former high-ranking member of the Rizzuto clan has become over the years a specialist in extortion. Arrested for gangsterism during Operation Coliseum in 2006, the man who was once one of the main leaders of the lucrative illegal online betting market on behalf of the Italian mafia had been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Shortly after his release, Del Balso had threatened a journalist from our Bureau of Inquiry who had lifted the veil on his attempts to extort from pizzeria owners in the Quebec region. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in prison and two years probation.