Paolo Renda, one of six men who acted as leaders in the Montreal Mafia while the organization was under investigation in Project Colisée, is expected to be released from a penitentiary next week.
The 70-year-old brother-in-law of Vito Rizzuto will soon reach his statutory release date on the two-year sentence he received in October 2008. Renda's release date is set for sometime around Feb. 16.
Federal inmates who are not previously granted parole by the time they reach the two-third mark of their sentence automatically qualify for a release unless they are deemed to be potentially violent offenders. Renda turned down a chance at a parole hearing last year for reasons that were not made public.
In Renda's case, the National Parole Board could only decide whether or not to impose conditions on his release.
Renda pleaded guilty to possession of the proceeds of crime and a related gangsterism charge and received the equivalent of a six-year sentence. But with the time he served behind bars awaiting the outcome of his case in Project Colisée, he was left with only a two-year prison term.
According to a written summary of a recent National Parole Board decision, Renda will not be allowed to communicate with anyone with a criminal record until the end of his sentence which expires on Oct. 16.
Renda, described in the summary as "one of the leading members of the Mafia in Montreal," is also required to supply information about his income and expenses to his parole officer on a monthly basis.
The parole board determined the conditions were necessary to "assure that you keep your distance from the criminal world and the Mafia."
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