The Speranza Clan
The Speranza Clan is an Italian-American organized crime group based in Los Santos, as part of the 'Ndràngheta. The clan is a local cell - also called “locali” or “locale” - within the Commisso 'ndrina, primarily based in Siderno, Calabria, but also in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada. The clan has been active in Eastern Canada, including both the Greater Toronto Area and Montréal, Quebec, since the 1980s, with most of its original members migrating from the Ionian Coast. The current boss (or "Padrino") of the newly-formed West Coast cell is Canadian 'Ndràngheta boss Giancarlo Speranza, documented by law enforcement officials to be a longtime Canadian crime boss since the early 2000s. As of 2018, the clan's newest territory, and first within the West Coast of the United States, has expanded to Los Santos, San Andreas.
History
Italy
In the 1980s, the Commisso 'ndrina were challenged by the Costa 'ndrina over the command of Siderno, Calabria, with the latter having returned from Toronto. In 1985, Giancarlo Speranza joined the reigns of the Commisso 'ndrina following his compulsory service within the Italian military. Giancarlo Speranza was born in Siderno, Calabria in 1965 into a traditional 'Ndrànghetafamily, and as such, received a position within the clan as it was his blood right, being a descendant of an honorary member. His late father, former sworn member and soldier Pasquale Speranza, was a long-time member of the Commisso 'ndrina and previously served under historical 'Ndràngheta boss Antonio Macrì. Giancarlo found his vocation within the clan as a camorrista (translates to "someone who collects extortion money") before becoming a feared sgarrista (soldier), and is suspected by Italian police to have been involved in over a half dozen unsolved, mob-related homicides between 1986-1990 in Italy. By 1991, the Commisso-Costa feud – that had spilled over to Toronto as well – ended in a victory for the Commisso clan. Officially, both Italian and Canadian police reports indicate there were 28 confirmed casualties among the Costas and eight among the Commissos. Boss Cosimo Commisso was sentenced to life imprisonment in Italy over the vendetta. Commisso's younger cousin, and Canadian counterpart, Antonio Commisso, succeeded him as the acting boss of the clan.
INSERT: Surveillance photograph of Giancarlo Speranza (left) pictured in Downtown Toronto with then-crime boss Cosimo Commisso (right) before his imprisonment, circa 1991
Canada
"If you were to look at the guy, you’d never guess he was a Mafia chieftain... He drove a car that was as plain as you could buy — no extras, no options, no flash, no nothing... He dressed very plainly, lived quietly as he could." —Larry Townsend, a retired RCMP Staff Sergeant who led an anti-Mafia unit that probed Speranza for years.
Antonio Commisso's first order of business was to expand existing 'Ndràngheta operations in the Greater Toronto Area in Eastern Canada. Giancarlo Speranza was made a member of the Società Maggiore (or "Major Society") within the clan and relocated to Woodbridge, Ontario in late 1991. Canadian police, including RCMP, were unsure of Speranza's exact position within the upper echelon of the Toronto-based cell until the arrest and extradition of Antonio Commisso in 2005. Crippling federal indictments following Commisso's imprisonment sent the clan into disarray. Airport and travel records between Canada-Italy indicate Speranza taking a brief trip in Siderno, Calabria in late 2005 where he was spotted by Carabinieri officials meeting with various high-ranking 'Ndràngheta members. It is speculated by police that the purpose of this trip was for Siderno-based 'Ndràngheta to sanction Speranza upon the Camera di Controllo (or 'board of control') in Canada, formally making him Canada's newest crime boss.
Speranza continued to operate behind the shadows as the newly-appointed patriarch, Padrino, of the Greater Toronto Area. Speranza's inner sanctum, his Società Maggiore within the clan, was comprised of several key organized crime figures during the Commisso-Costa war of the 1980s. Some of the Canadian-based 'Ndràngheta figures included: Stefano Varazzo, a licensed funeral home director (also first cousins with Pasquale Speranza), Santino Casciano, a renown cigar retailer with Cuban ties, and Nicola Milici, a Montréal night club owner and casino partner. Tensions between the local GTA 'Ndrangheta and Montréal-based Rizzuto crime family hit an all time high in 2009, when Montréal Godfather Vito Rizzuto's son, Nick Rizzuto Jr., was shot and killed near his car in the city's West End. Following the slaying of Rizzuto's son Nick Jr., many prominent Rizzuto family members were murdered or disappeared over the next half a decade. Canadian authorities believe Calabrian mobsters led by Giancarlo Speranza were among the suspects for the murders and disappearances although no formal charges were ever laid upon Speranza.
The clan suffered major setbacks in 2015 after a joint police task force between RCMP and Montreal Police Service were able to convict and arrest various ranking members and associates. The probe, or operation, was codenamed and formally known as Project Hydra — referring to the Greek mythological figure. A number of prominent figureheads within the Toronto-based cell were indicted on charges of money laundering, racketeering, and participation in activities of criminal organization, including: Stefano Varazzo, Santino Casciano, and Nicola Milici. Giancarlo Speranza was only charged with participation in activities of criminal organization; he was acquitted of association charges in 2016. At the time, police announced they had penetrated the inner sanctum of a Toronto-based cell of the 'Ndràngheta.
West Coast (Los Santos, SA)
Following the mid-year trial, Giancarlo Speranza was noted by Canadian authorities to have reserved his presence to his main places of business: an Italian deli and bakery in the York area, and a dry cleaning shop in Vaughan. Speranza is rumored to have continued operating under the radar and microscope of law enforcement. In early 2017, Giancarlo Speranza boarded a one-way flight to Los Santos, San Andreas. There is speculation not only between law enforcement officials but amongst reputed mob journalists, experts, and reporters that Speranza is upstarting 'Ndràngheta operations in Los Santos. Many of Speranza's former colleagues implicated in Project Hydra had descendants living in the State of San Andreas. INSERT: Surveillance photograph of Nostriano Milici (far left), Nicholas Varazzo (center left), Joseph Casciano (center right), Giancarlo Speranza (far right), and an unidentified associate outside Romano Funeral Home in Strawberry, circa 2017
Joseph Casciano, son of Santino Casciano, moved the family cigar business to Los Santos following the passing of his father (natural causes; heart disease) whilst in prison. Nostriano Milici, son of Nicola Milici, owned and operated a bar outside of Downtown LS. Nostriano Milici possessed local union ties to the Teamsters through the Milici bloodline. Nicholas Varazzo, son of Stefano Varazzo (also second cousins with Giancarlo Speranza), was noted to have recently moved from Toronto to Los Santos as well. Nicholas Varazzo, similar to his father, was a funeral practitioner and mortician. Agents within the FIB have only been able to obtain photographs of Speranza meeting with his West Coast associates on one occasion: outside Romano Funeral Home in Strawberry following the burial service of Santino Casciano in early 2017.
“The organization’s ('Ndràngheta) activities are carried out in impenetrable secrecy by independent families that are governed by extremely strict internal rules, that are closed to external influences, showing excellent entrepreneurial capabilities in both economic and financial crimes, of which all of the profits are skillfully reinvested using sophisticated money laundering techniques."
Characteristics
The 'Ndràngheta is closer to Cosa Nostra in nature than it is the Camorra; both are sworn secret societies which have a fair amount in common with freemasonry. Both groups have initiation rituals, ceremonies, and a formalized internal structure, and they also share similar criminal interests and activities. However, they are, and have always been, separate and distinct. The 'Ndràngheta tends to be a lot less selective than Cosa Nostra, for one thing, and its membership is thought to be much higher. However, it also has significantly fewer defectors, and historically has been much better at keeping its secrets. Part of the reason is the way the 'Ndràngheta is organised. Individual cells, or ”ndrine", are divided into two sections: the 'Società Maggiore’ (major society), and the 'Società Minore’ (minor society). The major society, which includes the boss and a select few others, holds back most of the important strategic details, while the newer (and less proven) recruits in the minor society are only told what they need to know – and thus can’t give much away. Members in the minor society can gradually work their way up through a series of different ranks, with a range of different names, usually awarded in recognition of some particularly vile act of violence or crime which proves their ‘worth’ or their ‘honour’.
There is a vast catalogue of symbolism, rites, and cultural codes within the 'Ndràngheta: from secret and cryptic linguistic codes (San Luca), to tattoos (although practice of tattoos nowadays is less common) & iconography, and esoteric images & rules pertaining to not only joining the organization but one's specific role within 'Ndràngheta. In these secret codes, explanations and distinctions are made about the roles in the society, tasks, the members’ characteristics, and behavioral rules. The 'Ndràngheta, more so than any other type of Italian mafia (Cosa Nostra, Camorra, Sacra Corona Unita) is punctilious in its observance of old-fashioned underworld values and adheres to a much more strict code of conduct.
There are coordination structures present in all the other territories where the 'Ndràngheta is present, outside Calabria, called Camera di Controllo (meaning 'board of control'), which always depend on the Province in Calabria, and hold the task to manage controversies, and, discuss and mediate conflicts between the local clans in a specific region of operation. Each Camera di Controllo is managed by a committee; representatives from each local clan in a region of operation. Currently, it is widely believed there are two outside of Italy: one in Canada in Toronto, and one in Australia, with none yet established within the United States. OOC
The Speranza Clan is a portrayal of a modern-day 'Ndràngheta (Calabrian Mafia) cell within the United States. Although the Calabrian Mafia and traditional LCN & mob outfits are parallel in day-to-day activities, the make-up and structure behind the Calabrian Mafia is much more in-depth and extensive. It is mandatory that you possess basic knowledge regarding the background and history of the 'Ndràngheta (specifically within North America) before attempting to join this faction. Recruitment is handled strictly in-character. As such, our group holds extremely high roleplay standards and expects all of our members (and those affiliated with us in any capacity) to uphold server rules to the fullest. Upon associating with our faction, you are liable to be CKed at the administration and leadership's discretion for whatever reasons they deem necessary. Any questions, concerns, complaints, or private matters regarding the Speranza Clan can be directed to either @Rust or @Yazum. Please refrain from posting screenshots without the approval of the faction's leadership. Note: thread is subject to be updated sporadically based on IC developments.
Special shoutout to @Rust for creating the whole faction thread. Man has been putting in work for this and also the Romano Funeral Service business thread.
