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The Snitch: Sarmad Mekhail wife in alleged spending spree with fake cash

Kayla Tianne Attie, the wife of an alleged Finks bikie gang member, allegedly went a spending spree in a Sydney Westfield using almost $2000 in counterfeit cash.

Bassam Hamzy, the Brothers for Life gang leader's life of crime inside Goulburn Supermax prison.

Judging by the photographs of Gucci-branded baby clothes and diamond Chanel earrings on her Instagram profile, life ain’t too uncomfortable for Kayla Tianne Attie.

But it seems even the wife of an alleged Finks bikie gang member Sarmad Mekhail struggles to keep up with appearances.

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Attie was caught last week allegedly using almost $2000 in counterfeit cash on a shopping spree at Eastgardens Westfield.

Kayla Tianne Attie with her husband, alleged Finks bikie gang member Sarmad Mekhail.
Kayla Tianne Attie with her husband, alleged Finks bikie gang member Sarmad Mekhail.

The 22-year-old was charged with four offences after Eastern Beaches Police retraced her allegedly fraudulent splurge.

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According to the police allegations, the buxom brunette spent $247.60 at clothing store Supre and $500 at EB Games before moving on to the hairdressers.

She allegedly handed over $300 in counterfeit cash there before blowing another $729.80 at Footlocker. She barely had the chance to parade her new threads before the police came knocking on October 3.

The mother-of-one was charged with five offences, including fraud and using counterfeit cash, and released on bail to appear at Liverpool Local Court on October 30.

COPS SAY FAREWELL TO THEIR ITALIAN STALLION

Any good crook worth their salt has heard of Angelo Memmolo. And you’d be hard pressed to find a cop in the state who doesn’t like the veteran homicide detective.

So it was no surprise to see the top ­brass-studded crowd the recently retired Detective Chief Inspector pulled at a farewell function on Friday to mark the end of his stellar 33-year career.

Deputy Commissioner Jeff Loy, Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing and Homicide Squad boss Scott Cook stood beside retired and serving legends of criminal investigation at the send-off in Sydney’s south.

As one senior officer put it simply: “Everyone loves Ange.”

Detective Inspector Angelo Memmolo had a stellar 33-year career as a policeman.
Detective Inspector Angelo Memmolo had a stellar 33-year career as a policeman.

At the Homicide and Middle Eastern Organised Crime squads, Memmolo devoted his career to chasing dangerous criminals, a pursuit that made him enemy No. 1 to notorious bad guys like Bassam Hamzy.

While hard on criminals, his compassion for victims and their families was second to none, an ex-colleague said.

He helped track down the killer of policeman Glen McEnally in 2002, busted Hamzy for running a multimillion-dollar empire from jail in 2008, and investigated the 2016 shooting of Hamad Assaad, which threatened to plunge southwest Sydney into gangland warfare.

Hamad Assaad, who was executed at his Georges Hall home.
Hamad Assaad, who was executed at his Georges Hall home.

Memmolo was also praised for his team’s meticulous investigation into the 2014 Lindt cafe siege, but the exhaustive case would be one of his last.

There were earlier stints at the armed holdup squad, when bank robberies were still in fashion, and as a gun-blasting tactical operator (as anyone who has tried talking into Memmolo’s noise-damaged ear knows full well).

After working with Memmolo on the murder of Ronald Mills in Allawah in the ’90s, former detective Belinda Neil famously referred to him as “my favourite and best-looking work partner ever”.

“Ange was renowned as someone very good at his job, very experienced, loyal and a down-to-earth guy,” Ms Neil told Snitch.

While his penchant for navy suits and nickname “the Italian Stallion” fuelled banter in the locker room, it will be Memmolo’s decency and leadership that his colleagues will miss most.

“He is the policeman’s policeman in every sense,” former detective Gary Jubelin said.

Retirement for Memmolo means more time with his wife, three daughters and granddaughter, and paddling his ski (don’t dare confuse it with a dragon boat).

BIKIE BUSTER

They crushed notorious criminal Bassam Hamzy’s attempt to revive a defunct street gang and brought a violent bikie boss to his knees.

But Raptor South’s bikie-busting days in the Gong are officially over.

The offshoot of Strike Force Raptor — the police squad that has been proudly harassing outlaw motorcycle gangs since 2009 — was deployed to Wollongong in the NSW Illawarra region last year.

However, despite many successes, Snitch confirmed the troops were pulled put of the area last month and returned to the Criminal Groups base in Parramatta.

Internally there is concern pulling out of the area will give bikies a green light to kickstart again.

RADOSLAV RIDES AGAIN

The last time that Radoslav Spadina set foot in a courtroom, he was jailed over one of the most infamous drug-smuggling plots in Australian history, so his latest alleged effort comes as a bit of an improvement.

Spadina, who was jailed over a plot to import 210kg of pseudoephedrine from a Dutch syndicate linked to ex-senior crime investigator Mark Standen, is due to face Manly Local Court on October 22.

This time he is facing one charge of parking his vehicle longer than the maximum period allowed.

Spadina’s drug case famously took a long time to progress through the court due to several delays, including one where the court heard he needed treatment for sleep apnoea that led to a minor heart attack.

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Originally published as The Snitch: Sarmad Mekhail wife in alleged spending spree with fake cash

Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/the-snitch-angelo-memmolo-farewells-stellar-33year-police-career/news-story/6ed12da87b6f0c221909f2983e1f88e6