Shotgun Ménard

Robert (Bob) Ménard is character who is larger than life, impossible to invent: his life is stranger than fiction. Retired policeman, one would never know that he has been shot three times, and that he has several bullets still in him.

No other cop has been an undercover agent for as long as he has: 16years. Between 1959 and 1976, the dozens of identities he assumed allowed him to penetrate the deepest and darkest sections of organized crime, and view life from inside the mafia. He risks his life and comes close to death several times.

In the 70’s, he is a major reason why the inner workings of the mafia come to light. For six years he lives above an ice-cream shop and bar owned by Paolo Violi, the head of Montreal’s mafia and right-hand man of the Bonanno crime family of New York, where he records the conversations held within. These recordings when presented to the Commission of Investigation into Organized Crime (CECO) in 1975 are key to the investigation. The methods of the mafia, its structure, and its global tentacles are finally revealed to all.

Bob Ménard was a major player in events that have marked our society as a whole. His story is that of a unique man of honor who gave his life for justice to be served. His methods were such that one could question how far justice can go in order to be served.