These days there are two reigning journalists and crime reporters that reign supreme in all mainstream news related to crime in the province of Quebec. Taking their duty to keep the public informed as everyday begins and ultimately ends, being forever a totem in the world of crime actualities. The first being Felix Seguin, taking his journalistic work so very seriously, he formed a relationship with Andrew Scoppa. A relation that Seguin would soon start questioning after the birth of his youngest child; Andrew Scoppa would call Seguin a few hours after, and had a bag of pajamas for his new-born to offer as a gift to Seguin.
The second journalist would be Daniel Renaud, who is published and gets his work released by La Presse. Renaud and the other crime journalists for the media outlet manage to release extraordinary work, offering the public extensive details on certain crimes committed, or happenings of organized crime. Renaud has been covering the Frederick Silva case from the very start, so precisely, that Silva had the journalist in his iron sights, offering up to 100,000$ on his head. The hitman was tired of having Renaud’s articles being brought up in court.
Frederick Silva will most likely be held as Quebec’s most prolific hitman, but would fall in the ‘snitching’ path such as many renowned hitmen in the province. Yves ‘Apache’ Trudeau (HA), Real Simard (Cotroni Clan), Donald Lavoie (Dubois Gang) and Serge Quesnel (HA) would all end up as informants. Same for Silva, after deciding to cooperate with authorities in June of 2022. Information on Silva, leaks, slowly but surely as he is still unveiling secrets to this day. Keep in mind, Silva may not look like a cold blooded killer, but he’s involved in nearly 60 homicides throughout his career; for the mob, for the HA and about anyone who is looking to get someone capped including street gangs.
His victims didn’t only extend to gangsters with bullseyes on their back, but if you were unlucky enough to be a witness to one of these morbid crimes. You too, could be a victim. A fact which he has proved through actions. Seguin was no stranger to criminal affairs, starting his love affair with crime in his teens. He would be sentenced to a four year stint at only 19-years-old in 1999, convicted of armed robbery. His world came crumbling down on February 23rd of 2019, when he was arrested after spending time as a fugitive, wanted for three murders and an attempted murder which occurred through 2017 to 2018.
Silva was wanted for a homicide which took place at a nightclub on Rue Saint-Jacques in Montreal. On May 24th of 2017, a dispute happened between two groups at Cabaret Les Amazones, located in the NDG borough of the island. A shoot-out happened which left a 28-year-old man dead. four suspects including Silva were seen leaving the scene in an SUV. When June rolled around, Frederick Silva was officially considered a fugitive.
Authorities managed to pin Silva as the main suspect of an attempted murder which had taken place in Terrebonne, in the Lachenaie sector, on the north shore of Montreal. The target? The one and only Salvatore ‘Mental’ Scoppa. Now-deceased, exiting in a grizzly way, Sal Scoppa had been targeted exiting V Pizzeria towards 8:30pm on February 21st of 2017. This is when Scoppa was hit. Witnesses described a suspect with a ‘dark complex to his skin’ exiting a vehicle and unloading his pistol on him, with Scoppa being hit only once. He was transported to Pierre Le-Grandeur Hospital, and close ones would fear for his life, ultimately, he lived to see another day.
Silva would also be a prime suspect and later face charges for a murder which occurred in Laval in October of 2018. Throughout his time on-the-run, he would create aliases such as Michael Vincinni and David Guerard, going as far as requesting a passport under an alias. Silva grew his beard and his hair to appear as someone he wasn’t.
Frederick Silva was feeling targeted by the media around this time, urging him to place a 100,000$ contract on Daniel Renaud’s head. Even guilty of conspiring the hit, consulting with other criminals. His scheme? To contact Renaud, telling the journalist he had exclusive information on street gangs, which were trigger-happy at the time, and setting an appointment only to be greeted with the barrel of a firearm. This conspired for several months until the now-famed hitman and informant had switched in June of 2022, even spilling the beans about the contract on Renaud to police. In August of 2022, authorities had let Renaud know that the contract on his head was abolished.
This hasn’t been the first time a journalist was targeted but rather the third time in Quebec’s history. Let’s remember, we’re far from Mexico and the fiascos that develop in South America with drug cartels. The first journalist targeted was Jean-Pierre Charbonneau, a writer who once worked for Le Devoir. On May 1st of 1973, he was attained by a bullet in Le Devoir’s headquarters. A ‘made-member’ of the Montreal Mafia, Antonio Mucci, had shot 3 times in his direction, with only one of the bullets hitting him. He was quickly back up on his feet, with a bullet perpetrating his right arm. Charbonneau was an avid Parti Quebecois supporter and a man that was essential for getting the criminal underworld in the Quebec mainstream news, working with another renowned crime reporter by the name of Michel Auger.
Michel Auger would funnily enough be the next journalist to be a victim to attempted murder. It would occur on the 13th of September of 2000, in the heat of the Great Quebec Biker War. A journalist who would write for La Presse and JDM (Journal de Montreal) throughout his career, Auger was ambushed while walking to his car outside of the JDM headquarters. Being shot six times, Auger made a miraculous recovery. The attempt was made after JDM published an article by Auger about a slew of murders that had occurred in recent years. The hit was allegedly contracted by the HAMC. In only a few days he was back-to-work and even wrote a book titled ‘The Biker Who Shot Me’.
Although Daniel Renaud wasn’t shot and nothing came out of the contract offered up by Silva. The fact was only publicly revealed at the end of 2024, shocking many government officials. Renaud has been on the ball with his recent coverage on Frederick Silva, not letting the truth that takes place behind the scenes get in the way of a good story. He’s exclaimed to the media that he definitely is more careful about the way he moves, but with weekly articles being released, he surely doesn’t let the fact that he’s had a contract on his head get to him.
*A ‘Murder-For-Hire’ criminal profile will eventually be penned about Silva, but it is too early to have an expansive story on the man. Although, we will be keeping you up-to-date on information that spills through the cracks. -East
