A new allegation from within the Ontario Provincial Police has linked a veteran sergeant, already embroiled in a corruption scandal, to Canada's top mafia boss.
Sergeant Mike Rutigliano, 50, has been charged with discreditable conduct under Ontario's Police Services Act for allegedly meeting with members of the Rizzuto crime family, led by the currently imprisoned Vito Rizzuto, in Montreal in 2002.
Mr. Rizzuto, 63, is in an American prison serving a sentence on racketeering charges related to three gangland murders in New York in 1981. He was arrested in Montreal in 2004 and extradited to the United States two years later to face trial.
Yesterday morning, Sgt. Rutigliano made a brief first appearance at OPP headquarters in Orillia. According to the notice of hearing issued before the proceeding, the OPP alleges Sgt. Rutigliano "arranged and attended a meeting in Montreal in 2002 with members and associates of the Rizzuto Traditional Organized Crime Group, regarding a jewellery store in Woodbridge, Ont."
The OPP has further accused the officer of giving "false and misleading" answers when he was questioned, in February of 2004, about his "relationship with Vito Rizzuto."
The notice of hearing quotes Sgt. Rutigliano as having said, "I do not know the man, I have never met the man, I have never spoken to the man, I have never communicated with the man either in writing or electronically, nor have I ever had any association with him directly, or indirectly."
The disciplinary hearing will resume on Sept. 28 in Orillia.
Sgt. Rutigliano, who was the OPP's manager of court cases in Toronto before he was suspended, already faces 16 criminal charges laid earlier this year, including obstruction of justice, breach of trust, fraud, money laundering, and several weapons offences. These charges stem from four distinct investigations.
The officer is accused of interfering in the prosecution of Frank D'Angelo, former head of Steelback Brewery, who was acquitted of sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman.
Sgt. Rutigliano is also alleged to have taken part in a $15-million fraud against Bombardier Inc., and an alleged effort to help a con artist who sold bogus hockey tickets avoid prosecution.
In May, the OPP carried out 21 search warrants in various locations and recovered several weapons, including brass knuckles and throwing stars, culminating in seven weapons-related counts against the officer.
Sgt. Rutigliano is due in a Brampton court on all criminal counts on Sept. 14.
Owen Wigderson, a lawyer representing Sgt. Rutigliano on the new Police Act charge, said little about the Rizzuto allegations yesterday, other than to say their timing was "thought-provoking" and that "it'll be worth the wait" to hear his official response to the OPP's claims when the proceedings resume.
After his extradition to the United States, Vito Rizzuto pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to the murder in Brooklyn of three captains of the Bonanno crime family. He was sentenced to 10 years and sent to a maximum-security prison in Colorado.