No jail time for getaway driver in invasion at Mafia boss’s home
Man claims he had no knowledge of what gunman planned to do in Del Balso home
A young man who acted as a getaway driver when someone stormed into the Laval home of a Montreal Mafia leader and threatened the mobster’s family at gunpoint will not have to serve jail time for his role in what transpired.
Quebec Court Judge Serge Cimon said on Thursday that sending 26-year-old David Cormier to a detention centre would negate the efforts he has made to get his life together since his arrest last year. Shortly before noon on May 6, 2017, a gunman entered the home of Francesco (Chit) Del Balso, 48, and pointed a gun at his wife and two sons while demanding to know where the mobster was. Del Balso was out running errands at the time and was on parole while serving a lengthy sentence for a series of crimes committed while he and five other men ran the Rizzuto organization between 2002 and 2006. Two of the other leaders — Lorenzo Giordano and Rocco Sollecito — were killed in Laval in 2016.
When the gunman realized Del Balso was not home, he dashed out of the house and jumped into a car waiting for him outside. Cormier was behind the wheel and a witness saw his Jetta make a U-turn before the gunman jumped into it. As the Jetta sped through a residential neighbourhood, it went through a stop sign. Someone called 911 and, within minutes, the Laval police located the Jetta. Cormier refused to stop. Over the course of two minutes, he led the police on a dangerous pursuit along Highway 440 with speeds sometimes reaching 160 kilometres per hour. The car finally came to a stop as Cormier tried to get onto Highway 13.
Cormier and the gunman were arrested and a dog that emerged from the back seat of the Jetta was fatally shot by a police officer. While Cormier was initially charged with offences related to what happened inside Del Balso’s home, he only pleaded guilty, on Feb. 8, to two counts involving the getaway: dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and operating a vehicle while pursued by police.
As part of a joint statement of facts presented to Cimon when Cormier pleaded guilty, he claimed he had no idea what was going to happen inside Del Balso’s home. He told authorities he befriended a man on Facebook and accepted his request to give him a lift so the man could pick up a car.
Cormier admitted his life was a mess when he was arrested and attributed his problems to abusing cannabis. He has since undergone therapy and is an apprentice learning a trade while holding down a job.
“Despite the events, you have made incredible efforts,” Cimon told Cormier after delivering a 12-month conditional sentence that will require Cormier to respect a curfew. The conditional sentence will be followed by two years of probation. Cormier is not allowed to drive for a year and is required to reside at a fixed address while he serves the sentence. Defence lawyer Pierre Gauthier asked that the address remain under a court-ordered seal out of concern for Cormier’s safety.
The alleged gunman, Marc Laflamme Berthelot, 34, is charged with pointing a firearm at Del Balso’s wife and his two sons, assault, robbery and uttering threats. His trial is scheduled for November.