Domenicantonio Cosimo "Tony" Vallelonga JP (born 28 November 1946 in Nardodipace, Calabria, Italy [1] ) is an Australian property developer and former mayor. He was mayor of the City of Stirling in Perth, Western Australia between 1997 and 2005.
Vallelonga was born in Calabria, Italy in 1946 and emigrated to Australia in his mid-teens in March 1963 on the SS Oceania. [2] [3]
Vallelonga was elected to the Osborne ward of the City of Stirling in 1988, until leaving council in 2005. He served four terms as mayor between 1997 and 2005. [4] [5]
In 2009 Vallelonga was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Stirling. [6]
Vallelonga was also a trustee of the Channel 7 Telethon Trust, a children's charitable foundation. [7]
In March 2011 an arrest warrant was issued by an Italian prosecutor alleging that Vallelonga was linked to 'Ndrangheta member Giuseppe Commisso. [8] Vallelonga has denied any wrongdoing. [9]
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, with most of the metropolitan area on the Swan Coastal Plain between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp. The city has expanded outward from the original British settlements on the Swan River, upon which the city's central business district and port of Fremantle are situated. Perth is located on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people, where Aboriginal Australians have lived for at least 45,000 years.
Reggio di Calabria, usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Regional Council of Calabria. It has an estimated population of nearly 200,000 and is the twenty-first most populous city in Italy, after Modena, and the 100th most populated city in Europe. Reggio Calabria is located in the exact center of the Mediterranean and is known for its climate, ethnic and cultural diversity. It is the third economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. About 560,000 people live in the metropolitan area, recognised in 2015 by Italy as a metropolitan city.
The 'Ndrangheta is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered one of the most powerful organized crime groups in the world. Since the 1950s, following wide-scale emigration from Calabria, the organization has established itself worldwide. It is characterized by a horizontal structure made up of autonomous clans known as 'ndrine, based almost exclusively on blood ties. Its main activity is drug trafficking, on which it has a near monopoly in Europe, but it also deals with arms trafficking, money laundering, racketeering, extortion, loan sharking, and prostitution.
Fremantle is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for Fremantle is Freo.
The City of Vincent is a local government area of Western Australia. It covers an area of approximately 10.4 square kilometres (4.0 sq mi) in metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and lies about 3 km from the Perth CBD. The City of Vincent maintains 139 km of roads and 104 ha of parks and gardens. It had a population of over 33,000 at the 2016 Census.
Gioia Tauro is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Italy), on the Tyrrhenian coast. It has an important port, situated along the route connecting Suez to Gibraltar, one of the busiest maritime corridors in the world.
Platì is a town and comune (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, in Calabria, southern Italy. It rises 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level on the slope of the Aspromonte mountains and is located next to the Aspromonte National Park.
Vallelonga is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Catanzaro and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Vibo Valentia. As of 31 December 2016, it had a population of 702 and an area of 17.5 square kilometres (6.8 sq mi).
The City of Fremantle is a local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of 19.0 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi), and lies about 19 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the Perth central business district.
Frank Anthony Vallelonga Sr., better known by his stage name Tony Lip, was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of crime boss Carmine Lupertazzi in the HBO series, The Sopranos. Lip portrayed real-life Bonanno crime family mobster Philip Giaccone in Donnie Brasco, and real-life Lucchese crime family mobster Francesco Manzo in Goodfellas. It was at the Copacabana nightclub that he first met Francis Ford Coppola and Louis DiGiaimo, leading to a small role in The Godfather, his film debut. He also co-wrote the book Shut Up and Eat! (2005).
The Honoured Society is a Calabrian 'Ndrangheta criminal confederation, started in Melbourne and currently active in all of Australia. In 1963, it was reportedly involved in the Victoria Market Murders. It was led by gangster Frank Benvenuto until his slaying in 2000. Tony Romeo, another high-ranking member, was shot in 2002.
The Piromalli 'ndrina is one of the most powerful clans of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Gioia Tauro on the Tyrrhenian coast. The Piromalli's are allied with their relatives of the Molè family, also from Gioia Tauro. Often they are referred to as the Piromalli-Molè clan. The Piromalli clan contains more than 200 members.
The Camera di Controllo, is a collegial body of the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organisation in Calabria. It is also known as La Provincia or Camera di Compensazione. It is composed of leading 'Ndrangheta members to decide on important questions concerning the organization and settling disputes.
The Siderno Group is a criminal association in Canada, Australia and Italy related to the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organization in Calabria. The association is labelled the "Siderno Group" because its members primarily came from the town of Siderno on the Ionian coast in Calabria and migrated to Canada and Australia in the 1950s.
The Commisso 'ndrina is a powerful clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organization in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Siderno, but also has a branch in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada as part of the Siderno Group. The Commisso clan is involved in international drug trafficking using family ties in Italy, Canada, the United States and Australia.
Giuseppe Scopelliti is an Italian politician.