Yep. The Pizza parliament will be complete once Fantino gets voted in (I don't dare say If since the "mob" has been working over time to get their 'boys' in).
Did you know Julian Fantino, Michael Dibase and Maurizio Bevilacqua are best friends? Did you know that Bevilacqua and Fantino orchestrated the 'step down, step up" play that went on? Did Maurizio ever explain why he stepped down from a Federal position to be a Mayor? Did you know after four years of getting their building permit refused, The Doctor's House received it one day after Maurizio won? Do you know who owns the Doctor's House? And how Maurizio is in on that? Hmmmmm....
Also one of the first people ad huge contributors to the FANTINO parade is Seven View Plymouth Chrysler Ltd. owned and operated by Eugene Paul Seminara. You ever here of this guy? Close personal friend of Constantin (Big Gus) Alevizos. Did Fantino know him? Gaetano Panepinto?
This blog is to expose the corruption and crimes of Julian Fantino and his "Woodbridge" Posse.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
DON'T YOU DARE SUE US....EVEN IF WE KILL YOU- JULIAN FANTINO
The Ontario Provincial Police Association and former OPP commissioner Julian Fantino are seeking $92,000 in court costs from the families of two men police shot and killed.
Levi Schaeffer and Douglas Minty, one with psychiatric issues the other with intellectual challenges, were shot dead in 2009. In both cases police say the men came at them with a knife.
The 83-year-old mother of one man, Evelyn Minty, said she would be severely impacted by having to pay police a portion of the police costs of defending the action.
“It's an exorbitant sum,” she said outside the courtroom. “But I want justice for my son. I really do.”
The case resumes Dec. 9.
The dispute relates to a legal action launched by the two families after the shooting. In their original court action the families alleged that officers involved in the shootings were “expressly authorized and instructed to delay completion of their notes.” The families also took issue with a union lawyer acting for both the officer who fired the shot, and witness officers.
The notes are passed to the province’s Special Investigation Unit and form part of the official investigation record.
Officers in both cases were cleared after the shooting.
The families had sought a court ruling stating police must prepare their notes the day of a shooting or wounding of a civilian, and that they not be allowed to share a lawyer. Justice Wailan Low dismissed the case saying it was a matter for the legislature, not the courts.
Justice Low is now hearing arguments about legal costs.
"This is not an attempt by the officers to get a punitive order or obstruct access to justice," police union lawyer Ian Roland said. “We’re not the bullies . . . we were brought in and we shouldn’t be part of this.”
Roland and a lawyer for former OPP chief Fantino are seeking a payback of the fees, with money to come from the families.
Roland said that what the families had tried to do in court had no legal basis and because of that police should not have to pay the legal bill.
The police union, on behalf of the three officers involved in the shootings, is asking for $74,616.16 in court costs and Fantino's lawyer is asking for about $17,500. The total bill tallies to $92,116.16.
Julian Falconer, lawyer for the families, is calling the move "police intimidation."
"The optics of this are brutal," Falconer told the court. "Because the families have asked for police accountability, they will now be punished."
The case its on its way to the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
Roland also said that SIU director Ian Scott should be on the hook for some of the bill because it was his press release about the note taking issues that started the cascade of legal action.
"At the very least he supplied the ingredients for the cost stew which the applicants now find themselves in."
In a press release about the Schaeffer case, Scott said the note taking practices prevented the SIU from doing a full and fair investigation and determining what happened.
The families do not seek costs from Scott, Falconer said, noting that the families drew comfort from Scott's efforts in bringing the notes issues to light.
Scott's lawyer Marlys Edwards defended her client's questioning of the officers actions.
Levi Schaeffer, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was shot through the heart after two OPP officers in search of a missing boat glided ashore onto his private camp on a remote peninsula eight hours outside Thunder Bay.
Douglas Minty was shot and killed by police outside his mother’s home in Elmvale, near Barrie.
Police alleged that both men lashed out at the officers with knives.
Schaeffer and Minty were killed two days apart.
Schaeffer's mother Ruth listened carefully to the court proceedings. She said outside the court she already faces a personal $30,000 legal bill, which she cannot pay.
"The spectre of a $92,000 bill would almost certainly stop anybody from questioning any public officer," she said. "But I firmly believe in the issue at hand."
The Minty family calls this police move to go after costs the “ultimate insult.”
Levi Schaeffer and Douglas Minty, one with psychiatric issues the other with intellectual challenges, were shot dead in 2009. In both cases police say the men came at them with a knife.
The 83-year-old mother of one man, Evelyn Minty, said she would be severely impacted by having to pay police a portion of the police costs of defending the action.
“It's an exorbitant sum,” she said outside the courtroom. “But I want justice for my son. I really do.”
The case resumes Dec. 9.
The dispute relates to a legal action launched by the two families after the shooting. In their original court action the families alleged that officers involved in the shootings were “expressly authorized and instructed to delay completion of their notes.” The families also took issue with a union lawyer acting for both the officer who fired the shot, and witness officers.
The notes are passed to the province’s Special Investigation Unit and form part of the official investigation record.
Officers in both cases were cleared after the shooting.
The families had sought a court ruling stating police must prepare their notes the day of a shooting or wounding of a civilian, and that they not be allowed to share a lawyer. Justice Wailan Low dismissed the case saying it was a matter for the legislature, not the courts.
Justice Low is now hearing arguments about legal costs.
"This is not an attempt by the officers to get a punitive order or obstruct access to justice," police union lawyer Ian Roland said. “We’re not the bullies . . . we were brought in and we shouldn’t be part of this.”
Roland and a lawyer for former OPP chief Fantino are seeking a payback of the fees, with money to come from the families.
Roland said that what the families had tried to do in court had no legal basis and because of that police should not have to pay the legal bill.
The police union, on behalf of the three officers involved in the shootings, is asking for $74,616.16 in court costs and Fantino's lawyer is asking for about $17,500. The total bill tallies to $92,116.16.
Julian Falconer, lawyer for the families, is calling the move "police intimidation."
"The optics of this are brutal," Falconer told the court. "Because the families have asked for police accountability, they will now be punished."
The case its on its way to the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
Roland also said that SIU director Ian Scott should be on the hook for some of the bill because it was his press release about the note taking issues that started the cascade of legal action.
"At the very least he supplied the ingredients for the cost stew which the applicants now find themselves in."
In a press release about the Schaeffer case, Scott said the note taking practices prevented the SIU from doing a full and fair investigation and determining what happened.
The families do not seek costs from Scott, Falconer said, noting that the families drew comfort from Scott's efforts in bringing the notes issues to light.
Scott's lawyer Marlys Edwards defended her client's questioning of the officers actions.
Levi Schaeffer, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was shot through the heart after two OPP officers in search of a missing boat glided ashore onto his private camp on a remote peninsula eight hours outside Thunder Bay.
Douglas Minty was shot and killed by police outside his mother’s home in Elmvale, near Barrie.
Police alleged that both men lashed out at the officers with knives.
Schaeffer and Minty were killed two days apart.
Schaeffer's mother Ruth listened carefully to the court proceedings. She said outside the court she already faces a personal $30,000 legal bill, which she cannot pay.
"The spectre of a $92,000 bill would almost certainly stop anybody from questioning any public officer," she said. "But I firmly believe in the issue at hand."
The Minty family calls this police move to go after costs the “ultimate insult.”
Monday, November 8, 2010
Julian Fantino: Always Corrupt, always double speaking- A True Bad Apple
“A few bad apples.” That’s how former Toronto police chief Julian Fantino described the force’s problems when six former officers were charged with conspiring to beat and rob drug dealers of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The officers, all members of Team 3 of the Toronto Police Service’s Central Field Command drug squad, are still awaiting trial after almost six years. “I am deeply saddened and disappointed,” Fantino told a news conference in January 2004, commenting about the charges against the six. “I can, however, tell you that the allegations are isolated and confined.” His comments came at the conclusion of an internal probe headed by RCMP Chief Supt. John Neily into the allegations or wrongdoing, which led to 40 criminal charges against the officers.
But police documents that surfaced for the first time this week in a Toronto lawsuit show anti-corruption investigators repeatedly briefed Fantino about similar allegations against other drug officers. These warnings came several months before Fantino made public assurances that alleged wrongdoing was isolated to Team 3 of the drug squad. A joint CBC News/Toronto Star investigation has found that Toronto police did not allow Neily and his team to complete their investigation into those allegations.
”Truth Honesty , justice, Integrity, where have you flown where are you gone, when alas did u die “ ”Dear God, must we find corruption at every turn? I recently welcomed my first child into this world, and whenever I look into his face, I get sad.” ”I don’t think this is anything new, unfortunately.” ”This is what the war on drugs gets you. Too much money and there is temptation that will corrupt honest men. It happens to Judges, Crown Attournies, Prison guards, Border guards, Airport security and many others. When will we learn?” “ People across Canada are disillusioned with the police forces. We don’t trust them because men at the top of their brotherhoods care nothing for the people they are sworn to protect. Their concern is to protect cops from facing the justice they deserve.” ” Come to think of it, even the Judges are corrupt, especially the ones in Traffic Court! Just take a look at the Judges’ Offices at Christmas time and watch the number of Turkeys and Bottles of Booze being delivered to the Judges Chambers at Old City Hall! Don’t believe me? Take your video camera down there, or better yet, your Cell ‘Phone, and record it.” “ police forces are like most every other brotherhood in existence, be it the military or street gangs. Covering one another’s butt is the code they live by, like it or not. And if you are in the ‘gang’ you’d best abide if you plan on sticking around. To ‘serve and protect’ applies as much to themselves as it does to the ruling establishment. ” “We Canadians are a trusting and appreciative lot and worship the ground they walk on. No surprise that secretive and self-serving police cultures persist and flourish. I doubt that we will ever see a successful prosecution on these charges or any other against our police until the public demands better ethical standards for the police that match Canadian ideals.” “If there was ever a need for a public inquiry this is it.”
But police documents that surfaced for the first time this week in a Toronto lawsuit show anti-corruption investigators repeatedly briefed Fantino about similar allegations against other drug officers. These warnings came several months before Fantino made public assurances that alleged wrongdoing was isolated to Team 3 of the drug squad. A joint CBC News/Toronto Star investigation has found that Toronto police did not allow Neily and his team to complete their investigation into those allegations.
”Truth Honesty , justice, Integrity, where have you flown where are you gone, when alas did u die “ ”Dear God, must we find corruption at every turn? I recently welcomed my first child into this world, and whenever I look into his face, I get sad.” ”I don’t think this is anything new, unfortunately.” ”This is what the war on drugs gets you. Too much money and there is temptation that will corrupt honest men. It happens to Judges, Crown Attournies, Prison guards, Border guards, Airport security and many others. When will we learn?” “ People across Canada are disillusioned with the police forces. We don’t trust them because men at the top of their brotherhoods care nothing for the people they are sworn to protect. Their concern is to protect cops from facing the justice they deserve.” ” Come to think of it, even the Judges are corrupt, especially the ones in Traffic Court! Just take a look at the Judges’ Offices at Christmas time and watch the number of Turkeys and Bottles of Booze being delivered to the Judges Chambers at Old City Hall! Don’t believe me? Take your video camera down there, or better yet, your Cell ‘Phone, and record it.” “ police forces are like most every other brotherhood in existence, be it the military or street gangs. Covering one another’s butt is the code they live by, like it or not. And if you are in the ‘gang’ you’d best abide if you plan on sticking around. To ‘serve and protect’ applies as much to themselves as it does to the ruling establishment. ” “We Canadians are a trusting and appreciative lot and worship the ground they walk on. No surprise that secretive and self-serving police cultures persist and flourish. I doubt that we will ever see a successful prosecution on these charges or any other against our police until the public demands better ethical standards for the police that match Canadian ideals.” “If there was ever a need for a public inquiry this is it.”
This is how Julian Fantino "Mr. Law and Order" handles charges against him
A special task force that investigated and charged a squad of Toronto police narcotics officers for allegedly shaking down drug dealers also suspected another drug squad of corruption, but then-chief Julian Fantino ignored the suspicions, a lawyer claimed in court this week.
The lawyer for Milos Markovic – a suspected drug dealer who alleges the squad led by Det. Dan Ross stole from his safety deposit boxes – claimed in a pre-trial motion hearing that Toronto police brass failed to properly investigate concerns raised about the Ross squad.
Lawyer Julian Falconer said police "unplugged" the investigation of the Markovic matter as part of a damage control campaign at the time the notorious Det. John Schertzer crew was making headlines.
"When Chief Fantino declared there were only a few bad apples, he did not deliver the straight goods," Falconer said in court.
Fantino, now the head of the Ontario Provincial Police, was not available for comment.
Lawyers for the Police Services Board note in a factum presented in court that Fantino is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, and claim the special task force never concluded the Ross team committed any crimes.
The police lawyers also suggest it was Markovic who stymied the investigation by not co-operating. None of Falconer's allegations have been proven in court.
Ross, now in a position of leadership at the police officers' union, did not return phone calls. His lawyer, Gary Clewley, said, "(The Ross crew) was investigated and as far as I'm concerned, cleared. Everybody who looked at it ... said there were no grounds to charge."
Markovic is suing the police force in civil court, claiming officers stole more than $200,000 in cash and valuables that belonged to him. His lawyer says he obtained new documents that show police force inaction. Whether Falconer will be allowed to include his cover-up claims in the lawsuit is before the court. Falconer contends the alleged cover-up contributed to his client's mental distress.
Police force spokesman Mark Pugash said Falconer's documents represent only a small portion of all the available paperwork, which contains contradictory statements and offers little clarity to the issue.
Meanwhile, the charges against Schertzer and his crew, after being tossed last year due to prosecutorial delays, is back on after an appeals court ruled several weeks ago that the delays were reasonable and the officers should stand trial.
At the time of the Schertzer scandal, Fantino said the allegations, while "regrettable," were "isolated and confined. The investigation has been independent, extremely exhaustive and thorough."
After the Markovic hearing this week, Falconer suggested otherwise in an interview with the CBC as part of an ongoing Star-CBC probe of the matter. "The only problem is that the investigation in relation to my client's matters was unplugged. Unplugged before Mr. Markovic could be interviewed. ... A final report we never see until years later states that the conduct of these (drug squad) officers is `a hair's breadth from being criminal.'
"What if the officers are innocent? Clear them. Vindicate them. ... You make sure one way or the other the truth is told."
Documents filed by his lawyer show Markovic was arrested, stripped and searched, and charged, but the charges were later stayed.
In 2001, Fantino, then the newly appointed chief, struck the task force to investigate what had become the biggest corruption scandal to hit Toronto police, and he tapped RCMP Superintendent John Neily to run the probe.
The alleged thefts of drug dealer money took place in the late 1990s, before Fantino was chief. The probe was to centre on Schertzer's crew but the task force soon widened its focus to include other officers.
In the end, the costly effort – which spanned three years and involved interviewing hundreds of witnesses, executing dozens of search warrants, obtaining three wiretaps and analyzing suspect officers' finances – resulted in charges laid against Schertzer and his crew.
Further explaining his arguments in court, Falconer said in the interview "that there was a deliberate element of concealment of the true nature of the problems they found on the drug squads.
"The words used by Chief Superintendent Neily were that serious criminal thefts and drug possession go beyond the Schertzer team into the Ross team" and that the matter justified an undercover investigation and financial audit of the officers.
"None of that happened," Falconer said.
Neily declined to comment.
The lawyer for Milos Markovic – a suspected drug dealer who alleges the squad led by Det. Dan Ross stole from his safety deposit boxes – claimed in a pre-trial motion hearing that Toronto police brass failed to properly investigate concerns raised about the Ross squad.
Lawyer Julian Falconer said police "unplugged" the investigation of the Markovic matter as part of a damage control campaign at the time the notorious Det. John Schertzer crew was making headlines.
"When Chief Fantino declared there were only a few bad apples, he did not deliver the straight goods," Falconer said in court.
Fantino, now the head of the Ontario Provincial Police, was not available for comment.
Lawyers for the Police Services Board note in a factum presented in court that Fantino is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, and claim the special task force never concluded the Ross team committed any crimes.
The police lawyers also suggest it was Markovic who stymied the investigation by not co-operating. None of Falconer's allegations have been proven in court.
Ross, now in a position of leadership at the police officers' union, did not return phone calls. His lawyer, Gary Clewley, said, "(The Ross crew) was investigated and as far as I'm concerned, cleared. Everybody who looked at it ... said there were no grounds to charge."
Markovic is suing the police force in civil court, claiming officers stole more than $200,000 in cash and valuables that belonged to him. His lawyer says he obtained new documents that show police force inaction. Whether Falconer will be allowed to include his cover-up claims in the lawsuit is before the court. Falconer contends the alleged cover-up contributed to his client's mental distress.
Police force spokesman Mark Pugash said Falconer's documents represent only a small portion of all the available paperwork, which contains contradictory statements and offers little clarity to the issue.
Meanwhile, the charges against Schertzer and his crew, after being tossed last year due to prosecutorial delays, is back on after an appeals court ruled several weeks ago that the delays were reasonable and the officers should stand trial.
At the time of the Schertzer scandal, Fantino said the allegations, while "regrettable," were "isolated and confined. The investigation has been independent, extremely exhaustive and thorough."
After the Markovic hearing this week, Falconer suggested otherwise in an interview with the CBC as part of an ongoing Star-CBC probe of the matter. "The only problem is that the investigation in relation to my client's matters was unplugged. Unplugged before Mr. Markovic could be interviewed. ... A final report we never see until years later states that the conduct of these (drug squad) officers is `a hair's breadth from being criminal.'
"What if the officers are innocent? Clear them. Vindicate them. ... You make sure one way or the other the truth is told."
Documents filed by his lawyer show Markovic was arrested, stripped and searched, and charged, but the charges were later stayed.
In 2001, Fantino, then the newly appointed chief, struck the task force to investigate what had become the biggest corruption scandal to hit Toronto police, and he tapped RCMP Superintendent John Neily to run the probe.
The alleged thefts of drug dealer money took place in the late 1990s, before Fantino was chief. The probe was to centre on Schertzer's crew but the task force soon widened its focus to include other officers.
In the end, the costly effort – which spanned three years and involved interviewing hundreds of witnesses, executing dozens of search warrants, obtaining three wiretaps and analyzing suspect officers' finances – resulted in charges laid against Schertzer and his crew.
Further explaining his arguments in court, Falconer said in the interview "that there was a deliberate element of concealment of the true nature of the problems they found on the drug squads.
"The words used by Chief Superintendent Neily were that serious criminal thefts and drug possession go beyond the Schertzer team into the Ross team" and that the matter justified an undercover investigation and financial audit of the officers.
"None of that happened," Falconer said.
Neily declined to comment.
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