Murder of Arsène Mompoint | The sponsors would be important members of organized crime

Influential members of the mafia and organized crime in Montreal are said to be the sponsors of the murder of gang leader Arsène Mompoint, shot dead in broad daylight, while he was sitting at a table with several people, in a cannabis store in Kanesatake, on 1^er July 2021.

This is what emerges from two hearings which took place last month and Tuesday, at the Montreal courthouse, and which documents obtained by The Press.

These individuals are Vito Salvaggio, Pietro D’Adamo and Davide Barberio, considered by the police as important players in the mafia, as well as Jean-Philippe Célestin, Emmanuel Zéphir and Dany Sprinces Cadet, from the gangs.

A seventh individual, Gregory Woolley, was also targeted by the investigation, but he was murdered last November.

In December, the residences of these seven individuals were searched.

When they showed up there, investigators from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) told them that their visit was linked to the murder of Arsène Mompoint.

The investigation into the latter’s assassination, called Reprisals, is being carried out, according to our information, in parallel with the Alliance project, this major investigation carried out for two years now by the Police Service of the City of Montreal (SPVM) and the SQ around the revelations of former hitman Frédérick Silva.

The latter would have provided the police with information on around thirty murders and as many attempted murders committed within Montreal organized crime since the end of the 1990s.

In addition to one count of murder, the six individuals could also be charged with attempted murder, discharging a firearm with intent, conspiracy to murder and gangsterism.

Electronic Loot

As part of the Retaliation investigation, investigators notably seized eight phones and $212,000 from Salvaggio; three phones, a tablet, a silencer, a charger, a stun gun, $15,000 and two luxury watches at Barberio; two telephones at Zéphir’s; three phones, a tablet and two computers at Cadet; two telephones in a residence suspected of being that of Célestin; four phones, two tablets, a computer, a pistol, three magazines and ammunition of five different calibers at D’Adamo’s; and, finally, two telephones at Gregory Woolley’s house.

In a request, the prosecution asked to be able to keep these elements for another year or even more, which the individuals’ lawyers oppose.

The lawyers dispute the fact that the items have been in police possession since last December and that the Crown is requesting an extension until March 18, 2025.

They question the complexity of the investigation.

M^e Martin Subak, Salvaggio’s lawyer, questions the link between the money seized from his client and the suspected crime, and M^e Dominique Shoofey, on the link between the Rolex and Bentley watches found at Barberio and the alleged crime.

Oyster phones

A total of 32 phones were seized in connection with Mompoint’s murder. Fourteen of them were opened by police officers who are experts in technological crimes. Their data has been extracted and is reportedly about to be analyzed.

On the other hand, the police would be unable to open around ten of them, and another, which would belong to Jean-Philippe Célestin, was erased when the police tried to extract the data.

Célestin’s lawyer, M^e Richard Tawil contests the seizure of the second device that the police attribute to his client, arguing that nothing proves that the room where it was found is that of the gang leader who recently became a biker.

It should be noted that a photo of Woolley was the wallpaper on one of the devices attributed to Célestin.

Judge Dennis Galiatsatos, of the Court of Quebec, will deliver his decision in June.

To contact Daniel Renaud, call 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.