Personally Delivered To:
c/o The Witness Protection Program
April 14, 1997
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE
THE HON. ALLAN ROCK
-and-
THE SOLICITOR GENERAL OF CANADA
THE HON. HERB GRAY
Dear Gentlemen,
These documents contain both security and time sensitive
information. I have phone bills which document in excess of 50
attempts to call either of you and even the Prime Minister's
office so as to make arrangements to ensure delivery of this
information to one of you personally. The RCMP have even supplied
me with a covert pager, the number of which I have left
repeatedly with your offices for you both, however, neither of
you have seen fit to respond to my pleas for your help. Your
assistants block my attempts to reach you and tell me to send
anything I have to say in writing by facsimile. I have been
advised by the RCMP that sending such facsimiles to your
assistants' fax machines, same not being a secure fax, would
compromise security. Accordingly, you have now received these
documents through trusted third parties.
As you are both aware, I and four other members of my family
have been in the federal Witness Protection Program since
November 10, 1996. This directly came about as a result of you,
Mr. Rock in part predicating your October 1995 decision to not
grant my father a new trial upon information that you had
summarily dismissed; to wit: "I observe that Ms.
Morrisroe also told departmental counsel that an individual who
had once been an inmate with the Applicant at Ferndale
Institution had told her that he knew who had really killed Mr.
Philliponi. When contacted by departmental counsel, this inmate
denied that he had said any such thing to Ms. Morrisroe."
The department did not conduct a thorough investigation
although the Liberal administration had promised us one. Mr.
Rock, when we apprised you of our concerns that a less than
thorough investigation had been completed by your staff, you even
went on to say, "Finally, I find that it is not
necessary in these circumstances to commence a new investigation
by non-departmental counsel. I am satisfied that the
investigation carried out by departmental officials was fair and
thorough."
The fact of the matter is now clear. Your promise to do a fair
and thorough investigation was hollow. Unfortunately, our
misplaced trust and faith in the credibility and compassion of
the current administration has resulted in my entire family now
having been unnecessarily placed in clear and present danger.
When you, Mr. Rock, did not take the information you were
provided with seriously, I was left with no choice but to try and
investigate it myself. I had to go undercover into a world of
crime and corruption - one into which a 26 year old mother of two
should never have to go. While trying to investigate the
information, you, Mr. Rock, had considered already thoroughly
investigated by your staff, I stumbled upon other information
about the individual - one Salvatore Ciancio - in question, who,
as pointed out to you previously, is a relative of the Philliponi
family. Upon giving this information to the RCMP I agreed to
continue collecting information in an undercover capacity for the
RCMP. Soon after it became apparent just how big this thing was
that I had unearthed, myself and my immediate family were entered
into the Witness Protection Program. Were my father not falsely
imprisoned I am sure he too would be in the program with us -
then again were he not falsely imprisoned in the first place none
of us would have to now endure a perpetual life of lies.
The Witness Protection Program Act was given Royal assent in
June 1996. It falls under your jurisdiction, Mr. Gray, in your
capacity as Solicitor General. Your office has not yet passed
regulations pursuant to the Act and therefore is void of any
legal mechanism with which to empower the RCMP to transfer a
federal inmate into the custody of its program. There is also no
common law mechanism which might accomplish this. In fact, there
are but two legal mechanisms which would facilitate my father
being accepted into the program; he has already submitted an
application to the RCMP to be entered into the program. One way
would be a Conditional Respite, the condition of course being
that he remain in RCMP custody vis a vis the Program. In its
simplest analysis I would respectfully submit to you that leaving
my father in imminent and grave danger is clearly out of
proportion to the crime he stands convicted of, even
notwithstanding his protests of innocence.
The other legal mechanism to facilitate my father's transfer into the Program would present itself upon you, Mr. Rock, ordering a new trial. The courts can then immediately entertain a bail application, something they lack jurisdiction to do otherwise. Why should this be done? I am not even asking that one of you gentlemen act expeditiously because of what I have done for Canada but simply because it is the right thing to do. Please read on.
Attached please find two new applications; a s.690 and
s.749(2) respectively. The applications will confirm my lawful
authority to act as my father's agent in regards to all matters
pertaining thereto and arising therefrom. If you follow the
normal bureaucratic channels and have Mr. LeFrancois and the
Clemency division go through the motions again then, well, I need
not say more. These applications are both security and time
sensitive. If they start traveling the bureaucratic amusement
ride there is a high probability of a security leak. That will
surely guarantee my father's premature demise and compromise both
my safety and the RCMP's ongoing investigation which now has
international overtones to it. I respectfully put it to you both
that you have all the information in your files which you need
short of confirming the facts as presented to you herein. The
RCMP have indicated to me that they are available to you both for
debriefing on the matter. In any event they will vouch for my
credibility, something which the Department of Justice previously
assailed so as to conveniently ignore anything they could not
otherwise rationalize away during their investigation.
The information, as it pertains to my father's case, as told
to me by Salvatore Ciancio and upon which I invite you to make
your decisions is generally as follows: (I am not in a position
to swear out an affidavit because it would geographically
identify my location, however, I will make arrangements to do so
in a different jurisdiction if you deem it necessary.)
He was in a position to know the details of Joe's murder
because of his relation to and, standing in, the family.
Ross Filliponi had his brother Joe murdered to allow him to
take over the family business.
Ross met with Scott Forsythe who afterwards did indeed shoot
Joe.
Rose Filliponi supported my father because she knew what
really happened but could never go against the family.
Scott Forsythe was not supposed to have gone down on this but
the fingerprint on the bag sealed his fate. Ross had targeted Sid
as the patsy and he alone was supposed to have gone down for
Joe's murder.
Scott brags to others that he has accumulated over $100,000.00
and feels confident he'll get his 15 year (faint hope clause)
review.
Ross hated my father because the rest of the family,
especially Joe (the term family meaning to include business
associates) respected my father and belittled Ross.
Salvatore Ciancio also stated to me that he was very
distressed over the department having contacted him and that he
had to cover that at all costs as he couldn't go against the
family.
Eventually, I will be testifying at multiple trials involving
no less than 8 murders and international drug conspiracies. The
information pertaining to these crimes was also collected from
Salvatore Ciancio and it proved credible to such an extent that
there remains to this day an ongoing classified RCMP
investigation. It is not for a lack of evidence but instead the
continued unraveling of further evidence implicating an ever
widening list of suspects, which is currently preempting arrests
being made. The very fact that I am in the Witness Protection
Program speaks volumes about my credibility. This can be verified
through Inspector Gary Bass of the RCMP @ (604) 543-4850 and/or
Assistant RCMP Commissioner Ryan.
My father is in the most dangerous of circumstances of all of
us and as long as he remains in CSC custody it is only a matter
of time before he is killed. CSC's answer to that will of course
be that he can go into protective custody. Notwithstanding that
he should not have to go into solitary confinement for 23 hours a
day after having resided in a minimum security institution for
over 7 years without incident, this will only delay his demise
and certainly not prevent it. Anyone working in CSC who gives you
an honest answer will tell you that. When there is a contract out
on an inmate even the inmates in PC will try to earn that money.
Pointing to certain sex offenders who have survived periods of
incarceration in PC is not a comparable example because the sex
offender need only fear harm from inmates looking upon him as a
low-life which is quite a lesser motivation to kill someone than
the lure of money.
An inter-regional transfer within CSC is also not a safe
option due to the high profile of my father's case making him
more likely to be recognized by other inmates, especially since
other inmates are also transferred from region to region and it
only would take one to recognize my father. Furthermore, the RCMP
have information about the association of 2 CSC guards with the
suspects. Lastly, I was told in very clear terms by Salvatore
Ciancio that, "if I ever turned on them they would kill my
father first, then my children and then torture me."
The people under investigation by the RCMP are dangerous and
are to be taken seriously - they need to be taken off our streets
for everyone's sake, especially our children's. If you do nothing
and someone you entrust with this information leaks it to the bad
guys and my whole family ends up dead then my only consolation
will be that the people of Canada might hold the Liberal
government accountable. I invite your stated position to
these applications by April 28, 1997. You can
communicate with me through the RCMP or call me on the pager
number I have repeatedly left with your staff.
Whether this stems from my recently cultivated cynicism or
just my blatant mistrust of some of your staff, I don't quite
know. All I do know is that with filing these applications I have
suddenly developed a heightened anxiety over concerns that
someone you trust with this information might find it more
expedient to leak sensitive information directly or indirectly to
the bad guys. No matter what happens to me from here on in,
senior newspaper personnel are already involved and sitting on
the story; you have here the opportunity to write the ending. At
my request and out of respect for my father's safety, the
newspaper in question has given myself and the RCMP assurances
that the story will be kept under wraps until the arrests are
made or, the level of danger has increased to
such a level that I have no choice but to go public. That may
even be sooner than I thought given that last week Mitchell
Taylor of the Department of Justice first exploited the fact that
I am presently unable to fully assist my father with one of the
three cases presently before the Federal Court and then later
invited me to apprize the court - making it a matter of public
record - that I am in the program so that the court might give me
another extension.
Privately, I still harbor some hope that it's lousy advice
from your bureaucrats which got us all into this mess and, that
properly informed you might still do the right thing.
Furthermore, please let me be perfectly clear about one thing.
The RCMP are the only reason that I still have some belief in our
justice system - they have shown themselves to be dedicated men
and women who above all are genuine and compassionate. I hope
that I have reached you. I look forward to receiving your reply
by April 28, 1997.
Sincerely,
Tami Morrisroe
Made this 5th day of March 1997, pursuant to
subsections 690 & 749(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada
IN THE MATTER OF A NEW APPLICATION FOR RELIEF
PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION 690 CCC; TO WIT: A NEW TRIAL ORDERED BY
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, THE HON. ALLAN ROCK OR, IN THE
ALTERNATIVE, A NEW INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION CONDUCTED BY THE
RCMP
- AND-
IMMEDIATE RELIEF PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION 749(2) CCC - ROYAL
PREROGATIVE of MERCY - TO WIT: A RESPITE IN PRISON SENTENCE
RECOMMENDED TO THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL BY THE SOLICITOR GENERAL,
THE HON. HERB GRAY
BETWEEN:
SIDNEY VINCENT MORRISROE
APPLICANT
AND:
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE
THE HON. ALLAN ROCK
THE SOLICITOR GENERAL OF CANADA
THE HON. HERB GRAY
RESPONDENTS
APPLICATION
RELIEF SOUGHT:
Pursuant to subsection 690 of the Criminal Code of Canada, I,
Sidney Vincent Morrisroe, born June 4, 1934, FPS 936 322-, having
been convicted and sentenced to a life sentence on June 13, 1984,
for aiding and abetting the first degree murder of Joseph
Philliponi on September 18, 1983, said sentence commencing
retroactively on October 21, 1983, herewith make application to
the Minister of Justice, Allan Rock, to exercise his
discretionary powers to:
order a new trial for myself alone in this matter on the
strength of new information recently brought to the attention of
the crown, upon which my conviction is no longer safe to uphold;
or, in the alternative,
to order the RCMP to conduct a new independent investigation
pursuant to subsection 690 CCC into matters arising from this new
information and report back to the Minister with their findings.
AND FURTHERMORE, I herewith make application to the Solicitor
General, Herb Gray to cause to be made an immediate
recommendation to His Excellency, The Governor General in
Council, to exercise the Royal Prerogative of Mercy to grant me a
conditional RESPITE in my Life Sentence of
incarceration, pursuant to subsection 749(2) CCC pending the
Minister's disposition of the relief sought pursuant to
subsection 690 CCC.
NOTWITHSTANDING THAT THESE APPLICATIONS ARE BASED, AND THE
APPLICANT AS SUCH ALSO RELIES, IN PART, UPON BACKGROUND
INFORMATION ALREADY IN THE POSSESSION OF BOTH MINISTERS (690 file
#303962 & 749(2) file # RPM-96-003), THEY ARE IN FACT
ENTIRELY NEW APPLICATIONS BASED UPON NEW INFORMATION WHICH HAS
RECENTLY BECOME KNOWN TO THE APPLICANT; THE PARTICULARS OF WHICH
ARE AS FOLLOWS:
GROUNDS:
The applicant continues to assert his claims of innocence of
having aided and/or abetted the 1983 murder of Joseph Philliponi.
New information having high confidence and providing a
credible basis for the proposition that I have been wrongfully
convicted is now in possession of the crown.
I hereby authorize my daughter Tami to be my lawful agent with respect to all matters pertaining to and arising from these applications.
Sidney Vincent Morrisroe
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