Arson Squad Investigating Fire at Alleged Mobster's Home

Montreal police have asked the arson squad to investigate a fire that badly damaged a home in Rivière-des-Prairies—Pointe-aux-Trembles, owned by a man with alleged ties to the Montreal Mafia.

The damaged residence on Gouin Boulevard East is registered to a company owned by Serafino Oliverio, also known as Sergio Lopez. Oliverio was shot in the same borough in 2021, also on Gouin Boulevard, leaving him injured. The pattern—same person, same street, two violent incidents three years apart—draws clear lines connecting the property to ongoing organized crime activity.

Municipal land registry records confirm the ownership structure. In 2023, one of Oliverio's nephews, Giuseppe Lopez, 59, was reportedly involved in a separate incident tied to the family's criminal associates. The concentration of incidents on the same block suggests either ongoing territorial disputes or escalating tensions within a criminal organization.

The arson investigation will focus on whether the fire was accidental or deliberately set—a critical distinction that could point toward retaliation, insurance fraud, or other motives. Given Oliverio's history and associates, police will likely examine connections to organized crime rivalries or score-settling.

Arson investigations in Montreal involving alleged mobsters typically take months. This one sits at the intersection of property crime and organized crime—a reminder that violence in this city still often has roots in criminal networks operating in plain sight.