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tony accurso to continue day parole away from halfway house
the construction magnate alleged during his parole hearing that he was the victim of attempts to extort him at the halfway house.
aug 23 2024
3 minute read
tony accurso is seen in a 2018 file photo.
dave sidaway
/
montreal gazette
construction magnate antonio (tony) accurso will be allowed to spend time at home while on day parole as he continues to serve the four-year sentence he received for his role in the laval municipal corruption case.
the parole board of canada made a decision friday allowing accurso, 72, to continue his day parole away from a halfway house. it is referred to in the decision as “day parole other location,” which means accurso can avoid having to return to the halfway house where, he alleged on thursday during his parole hearing, he was the victim of extortion attempts.
during accurso’s hearing on thursday, the part in which he laid out his release plan was held behind closed doors. out of concerns for his safety, all references to his release in the decision made on friday were redacted from the document obtained by the gazette.
in most cases, an offender out on day parole is allowed to split time between residing at a halfway house and living at home or with someone willing to support them.
what is clear is that the parole board has concerns for accurso’s safety. his day parole was suspended in april after someone fired shots at the home of accurso’s cousin giuseppe molluso, 81, who took part in the massive bid-rigging scheme orchestrated by former laval mayor gilles vaillancourt.
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the scheme that accurso and molluso were part of was run by vaillancourt and two of his highest officials. it ran from 1996 to 2010 and the majority of construction contracts issued by the city of laval were rigged — awarded before they were put to tender. about 20 construction companies colluded in the scheme.
companies would kick back two per cent of the value of the contracts to vaillancourt. accurso was one of 37 people charged in 2013 in the upac investigation project honorer. at least 28 of the men who were charged were convicted.
molluso’s home was located on a property in deux-montagnes owned by accurso. correctional service canada was not informed of this and it complicated one of the conditions imposed on accurso’s day parole. he is not allowed to associate with people who have criminal records.
accurso was at his home when the shots were fired and he called 911 to report what happened.
“you have not come into contact with (molluso); you have not spoken to each other for more than 10 years. the only time you came into contact was during a police interrogation, the investigator himself having asked to see you both together, even with knowledge of the (board’s) ban. so it’s wrong to claim that you broke this special condition,” the board wrote in its decision, summarizing accurso’s explanation of why he doesn’t feel he violated the condition.
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molluso lived on accurso’s property for two decades, and this was known by authorities after both were charged in project honorer in 2013 and while their cases were pending at the laval courthouse for years.
on thursday, accurso said his cousin has since moved away from his property.
according to the decision made on friday, there are also concerns over accurso’s health.
“you encountered problems with your health in july 2024. you showed up for an appointment on july 2, 2024. it was decided that you had to undergo surgery a few days later. so you showed up on july 8, 2024 to undergo an intervention. your main artery was 80 per cent blocked, so a stent was used,” the parole board wrote. “you then had several blood tests and your enzyme levels were normal; you were able to be discharged from the hospital. then, a few days later, you had complications following the medical procedure you had.”
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