Francesco Del Balso

Rise in the Rizzuto Organization

Del Balso was regarded as the leader of the "Young Turk" faction of the Rizzuto family. Journalists André Cédilot and André Noël described this group as aggressive and impulsive, seeming not to care about the consequences of their actions. The "Young Turks" were closely allied with the Syndicate, a Haitian-Canadian street gang led by Gregory Woolley, who also served as president of the Rockers Motorcycle Club, a puppet gang of the Hells Angels. After the arrest of Vito Rizzuto in 2004, a caretaker leadership committee was formed consisting of Del Balso, Nicolo Rizzuto, Paolo Renda, Rocco Sollecito, Francesco Arcadi and Lorenzo Giordano. Del Balso's primary role was as an intimidator and debt collector, considered one of the most intimidating leaders. He cultivated close ties with external criminal groups, notably working alongside the Hells Angels and the Syndicate.

The Online Gambling Empire

Alongside Lorenzo Giordano, Del Balso operated a highly profitable online gambling website for the Rizzuto family. The operation was sophisticated, initially based in Belize before moving to the Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve after the band council granted a gambling license. Del Balso managed a telemarketing office with between 34 and 58 agents who recruited clients. Between 2004 and 2005, the website had 1,609 users who placed 820,000 bets, generating an estimated profit of $26.8 million. Police surveillance at the Bar Laennec in Laval, where a secret camera was installed on November 2, 2004, recorded Del Balso visiting the location 541 times over two years, while Giordano visited 221 times. Del Balso was a gambling addict, frequently seen at the Casino de Montreal where he bet $7.6 million between 2001 and 2003, winning back $2.5 million for a net loss of $5.1 million. These losses served as a money laundering strategy to explain his cash holdings to the Canada Revenue Agency.

Violent Enforcement and Extortion

Del Balso's reputation was built on his willingness to use extreme violence. In November 2004, a gambling addict named Frank Faustini, a former Air Canada baggage handler, accumulated an $823,000 debt. Del Balso was recorded on December 8, 2004, ordering a subordinate to inform Faustini he would get a serious beating if he did not pay. Surveillance on December 15, 2004, captured Del Balso, Giordano and Mike Lapolla beating Faustini at the Bar Laennec. Faustini was also in debt to West End Gang member Richard Griffin concerning a 1,300 kilo cocaine shipment seized in Boucherville. After Faustini paid Griffin $350,000 on June 27, 2006, Griffin was murdered with an AK-47 on July 12, 2006. Del Balso was the prime suspect. In November 2005, Del Balso was hired by Intermarché Lagoria owner Cosimo Chimienti to recover a $300,000 investment stolen by financier John Xanthoudakis. Del Balso, Giordano and Carlos Narvaez Orellana beat Xanthoudakis in his office on November 25, 2005. Assault charges were dropped when Xanthoudakis refused to testify after death threats. At a meeting at the Consenza Social Club, Nicolo Rizzuto and Paolo Renda criticized Del Balso for not ensuring payment sooner.

Also in November 2005, Del Balso was hired to pressure financier Magdi Garas Samaan, who had lost $2.5 million of investor money. After a beating on November 29, Samaan attempted suicide. On December 19, Del Balso tried to force Samaan to remortgage his $4 million house, but Samaan successfully committed suicide the next day. His widow stated Del Balso's tactics drove him to kill himself. After the murder of his confidante Domenico Marci on August 30, 2006, Del Balso purchased armored cars, specifying windows that could stop AK-47 rounds and bombproof undersides. Police raids on his warehouse on September 4, 2006, where Giuseppe Feta was seen handling weapons, uncovered two AR-15 rifles, a machine gun, a shotgun, two bulletproof vests, and ammunition. In October 2006, Del Balso met with Antonio Coluccio of the Coluccio 'ndrina in Woodbridge, Ontario, to settle the gambling debts of hitman Salvatore Calautti, agreeing the Coluccios would pay in exchange for a murder.

Project Colisée and Imprisonment

Del Balso was arrested on November 22, 2006, as part of the RCMP's four-year Project Colisée investigation. The sweep netted dozens including Nicolo Rizzuto, Paolo Renda, Rocco Sollecito, Francesco Arcadi, and Lorenzo Giordano. On September 18, 2008, Sollecito pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion, bookmaking, illegal gaming and possession of proceeds of crime, receiving an eight-year sentence. Del Balso pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine in alliance with the Hells Angels, gangsterism, and filing false tax returns between 2003 and 2006. Evidence included a wiretapped call where Del Balso threatened a ceramic company executive's life. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and was released in 2016. In May 2017, Marc Laflamme Berthelot broke into Del Balso's house and threatened to kill his family unless they revealed his location. Del Balso removed his electronic monitoring bracelet and fled. This led to the revocation of his statutory release in August 2017. His releases were also suspended following the murders of his close associates, as parole authorities had information he was next on an execution list. Del Balso repeatedly told parole boards he was finished with crime, but authorities remained skeptical, noting he was a trusted and respected member of the Montreal Mafia.

Final Years and Assassination

In September 2022, Del Balso was arrested for allegedly attempting to extort nuns and a priest at the Saint-Maxime Church in Laval. He subsequently allied himself with Hells Angels Montreal chapter members Martin Robert and Stéphane Plouffe. Attempts were made on his life in November 2022 and January 2023 while he was in his car. In March 2023, he was a suspect in the March 15 attempted murder of Leonardo Rizzuto. Several days later he was arrested at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport trying to flee to Italy. His passport was confiscated and he was released without charge. This followed police searches of his home and the homes of three Hells Angels members as part of a drug trafficking investigation by the National Organized Crime Repression Squad. On June 5, 2023, Del Balso was murdered inside his car in the parking lot of the Monster gym in Dorval, where he had just met with two Hells Angels leaders. The assailant used a long-range rifle fired from approximately 90 meters away, an unusual method for Montreal gangland murders. Police sought a white Dodge Ram 1500 truck seen fleeing the scene. A Montreal police officer stated the sniper-style execution indicated a sponsor who wanted the crime committed efficiently, raising questions about who could afford such a professional hit. The murder remains unsolved.

Personal Finances and Lifestyle

Del Balso displayed a flashy, materialistic lifestyle. To legitimize his income, he listed an investment in the Intermarché Lagoria grocery store chain on his tax returns. He also sat on the board of directors of the Intermarché Bellerose chain, which in February 2006 provided him with a record of employment and fake pay stubs. His wife owned a luxury villa in Acapulco, purchased entirely in cash for $352,000. His father, Girolamo Del Balso, was recorded at the Consenza Social Club complaining that younger mafiosi were too materialistic, needing "$100,000 a day to survive." After Marci's funeral on September 6, 2006, Del Balso stated, "Today it was him. Tomorrow it could be me," reflecting his paranoia. Following Marci's murder, he never went outside without a gun.

Criminal Legacy and Impact

Del Balso's career illustrated key evolutions in Canadian organized crime, combining technology-driven crimes like online gambling with traditional violent enforcement. His collaboration with the Hells Angels and street gangs like the Syndicate represented a breakdown of historic barriers, creating fluid and dangerous alliances. Project Colisée was one of the most significant police operations against the Mafia in Canada, revealing vast networks in gambling, drug importation, and extortion. His violent death in 2023 occurred during a period of instability following the death of Vito Rizzuto, highlighting ongoing conflicts within Quebec's underworld. His story has been documented in several books on Canadian organized crime.

• Mafia Inc.: The Long, Bloody Reign of Canada's Sicilian Clan by André Cédilot and André Noël (2011).
• Business Or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto's Last War by Peter Edwards and Antonio Nicaso (2015).

Questions about Francesco Del Balso

What was Francesco Del Balso known for?

Francesco Del Balso was known as the leader of the Rizzuto crime family's aggressive 'Young Turk' faction. He was a feared enforcer who often dealt with debtors and operated a lucrative online gambling website. As part of the 2006 Project Colisée arrests, he was convicted for trafficking cocaine in alliance with the Hells Angels. He also pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns for the years 2003 to 2006.

How did Francesco Del Balso die?

Francesco Del Balso was assassinated on June 5, 2023, in Dorval, Quebec. A marksman shot him with a long rifle from a distance of about 90 meters while he was sitting in his car in the parking lot of the Monster gym. He had just finished a meeting with two leaders of the Hells Angels at the gym. The unusual method of this gangland murder remains unsolved by police.

What was Project Colisée?

Project Colisée was a four-year Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation that culminated on November 22, 2006. The operation led to the arrest of dozens of Rizzuto family members, including Del Balso, Nicolo Rizzuto, and Francesco Arcadi. It used secret cameras and wiretaps to gather evidence of illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and extortion. These convictions resulted in significant prison sentences for many of those involved.

What was Del Balso's relationship with the Hells Angels?

Del Balso had a close operational alliance with the Hells Angels Montreal chapter. He was convicted of conspiring to traffic cocaine alongside them as part of Project Colisée. In his final years, he was allied with specific Hells Angels members Martin Robert and Stéphane Plouffe. He was meeting with Hells Angels leaders at the Monster gym immediately before his murder in June 2023.

How profitable was Del Balso's gambling operation?

The online gambling website Del Balso ran with Lorenzo Giordano was highly profitable. Between 2004 and 2005, it generated a profit of $26.8 million from 820,000 bets placed by 1,609 users. The operation employed between 34 and 58 agents in a telemarketing office to recruit clients. The website was based in Belize before moving to the Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve after obtaining a local gambling license.

Why was Del Balso's release from prison repeatedly revoked?

Del Balso's statutory release was revoked in August 2017 after he removed his court-ordered electronic monitoring bracelet. He did this when Marc Laflamme Berthelot broke into his home and threatened his family in May 2017. Earlier conditional releases were also suspended by the Parole Board of Canada due to public safety concerns. These concerns were heightened after the murders of associates and information that Del Balso was on an execution list.

Sources and further reading

• Francesco Del Balso (Wikipedia)
• Jailed Montreal mobster, scheduled for release, in limbo ... (cbc.ca)
• Montreal police looking for vehicle in connection with ... (montreal.citynews.ca)
• Alleged Montreal Mafia leader Francesco Del Balso ... (montrealgazette.com)

Checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-25.