Mick Gatto

Last updated

Mick Gatto
Born
Domenic Gatto

(1955-08-06) 6 August 1955 (age 67)
Nationality Australian
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • mediator
  • event promoter
SpouseCheryle Gatto
Notes

Domenic "Mick" Gatto (born 6 August 1955) is a professional mediator within the Victorian building industry; and a debt collector. Gatto was named as a standover man during the Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry. [1]

Contents

Background and early years

The son of two Italian immigrants from Calabria, Gatto was raised in Melbourne and commenced working in the fruit and vegetable industry. [1] A former boxer, [5] in the 1980s and 1990s, Gatto was involved in Melbourne's illegal gambling scene. [3] In 2004 Gatto was given a ten-year gaming ban, subsequently increased to a life ban. [5]

Murder acquittal

In 2004 Gatto was charged with the murder of Andrew Veniamin, a suspected underworld hitman. Gatto was remanded in custody for 18 months. He was found not guilty at trial, during which Gatto claimed he had acted in self-defence [5] after Veniamin pulled out a .38 and threatened to kill him. Gatto claimed that during a struggle he was able to turn the gun around on Veniamin and fire one shot into his neck, and one shot in the eye. He also claimed that during the argument, Veniamin had implicated himself in the deaths of Dino Dibra, Paul Kallipolitis and Graham Kinniburgh. [6]

At the time of charging Vince Benvenuto with the 2002 murder of Victor Peirce, it was alleged that Gatto had links to both men and to Faruk Orman, [7] the man later convicted of Peirce's murder and acquitted in 2019. [8] No charges were laid against Gatto. [9]

Other matters

In proceedings before the Cole Royal Commission, it was heard that Gatto was involved in resolving certain business disputes. Witnesses attested that Gatto and his business associate, David "the Rock" Hedgcock, had been involved in solving industrial relations problems in the construction industry. One witness, a representative of Baulderstone Hornibrook expressed the fears of a colleague stating, "...he expressed some concerns about his safety, that people associated with this deal were the sorts of people that break legs..." Gatto and Hedgcock's solicitor rejected any implication they had used threats or intimidation. Appearing before the Royal Commission in 2002, Gatto claimed he was being made a scapegoat by the inquiry and strenuously denied he was a standover man. [10]

"I'm not a standover man. I'm not a man off ill repute. Fair enough I've got a chequered past....but I paid for...whatever I have done wrong. I don't appreciate this nonsense that you are looking for someone to blame to justify your existence here today., to justify 300 investigators and teams of lawyers. You won't be justifying your existence with me. I promise you. I will fight you all the way, tooth and nail.

— Mick Gatto, before the Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry, 28 February 2002.

In 2012, Gatto hosted a fundraising dinner for the Cure for Life Foundation, established by Sydney neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo. [11] The concerning relationship between Gatto, an underworld figure, and Dr Teo, a medical professional, was further substantiated in 2019 when The Sydney Morning Herald contacted Dr Teo's office about his alleged sexual harassment of colleagues in Arkansas, USA. Within 24 hours a response was received by one of Gatto's associates. [12]

In 2016, Gatto was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and of possession of a firearm and ammunition without a licence. [13]

A former boxing promoter, the Napthine government withdrew his fight promotional licence. [5] In 2014 Gatto claimed that he had raised over $4.5 million for charity over ten years. [5] In 2017 it was alleged that Gatto was involved in assisting with resolution of matters involving Stephen Dank and the Essendon Football Club supplements controversy. [14]

In April 2017 it was reported that Gatto settled a long-running dispute with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). It was claimed that Gatto and his family owed the ATO $15 million; and both parties agreed to settle the matter for less than $4 million. It was reported that in order to pay the ATO, Gatto sold his Lower Plenty home for $4.1 million. [15] Gatto and his family also own a residence at Mount Martha, on the Mornington Peninsula. [16]

in 2020 Gatto launched a defamation lawsuit against The Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Gatto claimed the article made him out to be a 'murderer' and 'one of Australia's most violent criminals'. [17] In 2021 Justice Andrew Keogh ruled in favour of the ABC, stating "Far from being distorted, the article was entirely accurate and correlated with what occurred in those parts of the Proceedings which were reported." [18]

Published works

In the Australian TV drama series Underbelly based on the Melbourne gangland killings, Gatto was portrayed by actor Simon Westaway, and in the second series, by Luke McKenzie.

Related Research Articles

The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders of 36 underworld figures in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between January 1998 and August 2010. The murders were retributive killings involving underworld groups. The deaths caused a power vacuum within Melbourne's criminal community, and rival factions fought for control and influence. Many of the murders remain unsolved, although detectives from the Purana Taskforce believe that Carl Williams was responsible for at least ten of them. The period culminated in the arrest of Williams, who pleaded guilty on 28 February 2007 to three of the murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HM Prison Barwon</span> Maximum security prison in Lara, Victoria, Australia

HM Prison Barwon or informally Barwon Prison, an Australian high risk and maximum security prison for males, is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the township of Lara, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The facility is operated by Corrections Victoria, part of the Department of Justice & Community Safety of the Government of Victoria. The prison provides accommodation and services for remand and sentenced prisoners detained under Victorian and Commonwealth legislation.

Graham Allen Kinniburgh was an Australian organised crime figure from Kew, a suburb of Melbourne. He became a victim of the Melbourne gangland killings, which were dramatised in the drama series Underbelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nik Radev</span> Bulgarian criminal and mobster

Nikolai Radev, nicknamed The Russian, was a Bulgarian career criminal and mobster who was involved in crime in Melbourne, Australia.

Carl Anthony Williams was an Australian convicted murderer and drug trafficker from Melbourne, Victoria. He was a central figure in the Melbourne gangland killings as well as their final victim.

Andrew Benjamin (Benji) Veniamin was an Australian criminal from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. A convicted car thief, Veniamin was a key figure in the Melbourne underworld killings, suspected of both murdering seven underworld figures, and being a hit-man for the Williams crime family. Veniamin was killed by Domenic "Mick" Gatto at the La Porcella Italian restaurant in Carlton. Gatto claimed it was in self-defence following a heated argument.

Victor George Peirce was an Australian gangster from Melbourne, Victoria. Peirce was a member of the Pettingill family, which was headed by matriarch and former Richmond brothel owner Kath Pettingill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Mokbel</span> Australian criminal (born 1965)

Antonios Sajih Mokbel is an Australian criminal who has been convicted of a number of offences, most prominently commercial drug trafficking. He has spent most of his life in Melbourne, Australia. Operation Purana alleged that he is the mastermind behind the Melbourne amphetamine trade. He has been linked to Carl Williams, and charged but not convicted of two murders in the Melbourne gangland war. He disappeared from Melbourne while on trial in March 2006, and was arrested by Greek police in Athens on 5 June 2007. Since being brought back to Australia he has remained incarcerated.

Mario Rocco Condello was an Italian-Australian organised crime figure. Condello, once a lawyer, was a member of the Carlton Crew, and is believed to have been a money launderer for Melbourne's Calabrian mafia, the Ndrangheta. He was a key figure in the Melbourne gangland killings.

Zarah Garde-Wilson is an Australian solicitor in Victoria who rose to prominence after she acted for many persons under investigation by Victoria Police in relation to the Melbourne gangland killings of 1998–2006.

Underbelly, the first series of Australian crime television drama series Underbelly. The thirteen-part series originally aired from 13 February 2008 to 7 May 2008 on the Nine Network and is loosely based on the real events of the 1995–2004 gangland war in Melbourne. It depicts the key players in Melbourne's criminal underworld, including the Carlton Crew and their rival, Carl Williams. The series is based on the book Leadbelly: Inside Australia's Underworld, by journalists John Silvester and Andrew Rule, and borrows its name from the successful Underbelly true crime anthology book series also authored by Silvester and Rule. An alternative and significantly updated tie-in novel, Underbelly: The Gangland War, was released as their 13th book in the series. The series is produced by the Australian Film Finance Corporation, in association with Film Victoria. The executive producers are Des Monaghan and Jo Horsburgh.

Robert Richter is an Australian barrister, based in Melbourne. He has handled a number of high-profile cases including defendants unpopular in public opinion. He is an adjunct professor at Victoria University. He is a critic of human rights violations and advocates for the rule of law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dino Dibra</span>

Dino Dibra, also known as The Sunshine Boy, was an Australian suspected murderer and a victim of the Melbourne gangland killings.

The Pettingill family is a Melbourne-based criminal family, headed by matriarch Kath Pettingill. Family members have many convictions for criminal offences including drug trafficking, arms dealing and armed robberies.

The Carlton Crew is a criminal organisation based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, which was formed in the late 1970s and named after the Melbourne suburb in which it is based, Lygon Street, Carlton, commonly called "Little Italy". The organisation was a fierce rival to the Honoured Society and the Calabrese Family, both of which were Calabrian 'Ndrangheta groups also based in Melbourne, and were additionally allies of the mostly Irish Moran family. The Carlton Crew had a strong role in the infamous Melbourne gangland killings.

Nicola Maree Gobbo, sometimes known as Nikki Gobbo, is an Australian former criminal defence barrister and police informant.

Criminal activity in Victoria, Australia is combated by the Victoria Police and the Victorian court system, while statistics about crime are managed by the Crime Statistics Agency. Modern Australian states and cities, including Victoria, have some of the lowest crime rates recorded globally with Australia ranked the 13th safest nation and Melbourne ranked the 5th safest city globally. As of September 2018 the CBD of Melbourne had the highest rate of overall criminal incidents in the state (15,949.9), followed by Latrobe (12,896.1) and Yarra (11,119.2). Rural areas have comparatively high crime rates, with towns such as Mildura (9,222.0) and Greater Shepparton (9,111.8) having some of the highest crime rates in the state.

The Sydney gangland war were a series of murders and killings of several known criminal figures and their associates that took place in Sydney, Australia, during the 1980s. A vast majority of the murders were seen as retributive killings and attempts to control the Sydney's drug trade and expansion of criminal territory. A significant number of the murders that took place during the Sydney gangland war went unsolved, mainly due to corrupt police and their association with members of the Sydney Underworld.

Joseph Acquaro also known as Joe Acquaro or Pino was a Melbourne lawyer, businessman and former president of Melbourne's Italian Chamber of Commerce and the Reggio Calabria Club who was shot to death on 15 March 2016 at age 54.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Munro, Ian (24 March 2004). "Gatto emerges reluctantly from the shadows". The Age . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  2. ↑ Carbone, Suzanne; Money, Lawrence (8 November 2005). "Gatto hits headlines in Noosa". The Age . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 McKenzie, Nick (8 October 2007). "The Master Networker". The Age . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  4. ↑ Davey, Melissa (17 March 2015). "Mick Gatto launches debt collection agency for horse racing industry". Guardian Australia .
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Bowles, Robin (25 October 2014). "Professional hardman Mick Gatto's gangland style". The Saturday Paper . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Russell, Mark (9 June 2005). "Lawyers, guns and Gatto". The Age .
  7. ↑ McKenzie, Nick; Hagan, Kate (14 July 2008). "Heat on Gatto as man charged with Peirce murder". Farm Online. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "Gangland figure wipes away tears as court grants freedom due to Lawyer X". ABC News. 26 July 2019.
  9. ↑ Iaria, Melissa (25 November 2009). "Getaway driver in Victor Peirce murder jailed for 20 years". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  10. ↑ "Dominic "Mick" Gatto". Melbourne Crime: A journey into the Melbourne underworld. Crime Writers Association of Australia. Archived from the original on 2 July 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "Gatto raises $600k to fight cancer". NewsComAu. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  12. ↑ McClymont, Kate (4 September 2019). "Brilliant, adored, flawed: Dr Charlie Teo unmasked". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  13. ↑ Cooper, Adam; Vedelago, Chris (20 May 2016). "Mick Gatto leaves court in black Rolls-Royce". The Age . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Essendon deny reports club reached out to Mick Gatto during doping scandal". Guardian Australia . Australian Associated Press. 9 March 2017.
  15. ↑ Vedelago, Chris; Houston, Cameron (26 April 2017). "Gatto settles $15m tax bill for less than $4m". The Age . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  16. ↑ Vedelago, Chris; Houston, Cameron; Mills, Tammy (12 February 2016). "Homes of underworld figure Mick Gatto raided in Melbourne". The Age . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "Mick Gatto sues ABC for defamation, saying 'hurtful' article implies he is a hitman". TheGuardian.com . 22 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "Mick Gatto loses defamation case against ABC over Lawyer X article". ABC News. 26 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.