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The DUI arrest of a Toronto man has ultimately led to the detention of twelve others in what Canadian authorities are calling a “high value fraud ring”.
Ajex resident Giuseppe Gatti, 48, was arrested for driving while impaired back in 2015. Officers at the time found that Gatti was in possession of thousands of dollars in cash and credit cards that bore other people’s names.
Ultimately, Cosimo Commisso was charged with possession of the proceeds of a crime tied to the fraud ring following an extensive tracing of bank accounts.
The 72-year-old Commisso, who resides outside of Toronto, is a known mob boss. Authorities claim he was not the ring leader of the fraud scheme, which allegedly bilked banks out of $11.5 million.
In a 2004 court affidavit Commisso was described as "one of the heads of traditional organized crime in Toronto," with the RCMP saying it had "targeted Cosimo Commisso and his group for their involvement in murder, extortion, drug trafficking, gambling and fraud."
Despite these claims, Commisso was never charged with any wrongdoing in that case.
For his part, Commisso has long asserted he has no ties to organized crime.
"I have a criminal record," Commisso said in a rare on-the-record interview with journalists from the fifth estate and the Star. "But what makes you think I'm organized crime? What is organized crime?"
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
