Death row bikie Antonio Bagnato was pin-up boy for secret Sydney St Michael’s Fight Club
A BIKIE on death-row at Thailand’s Bangkok Hilton was to open an overseas chapter of a secretive Sydney organisation known as the St Michael’s Fight Club when he murdered an ex Hells Angel in Thailand, a court has heard.
NSW
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A BIKIE was to open an overseas chapter of a secretive Sydney organisation known as the St Michael’s Fight Club when he murdered an ex Hells Angel in Thailand, a court has heard.
Boxing identity Antonio Bagnato hired four men to kidnap and kill international drug dealer Wayne Schneider whose body was discovered by Thai police a metre deep grave in 2015, a NSW coronial hearing was told yesterday.
Bagnato, who has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of Schneider’s murder, was attempting to open an chapter of the Fight Club in Thailand before his arrest.
Before his murder, Schneider was one of the biggest importers of illegal drugs into Australia. Both the NSW and Australian crime commissions had significant files on him. At the time he was killed there were 375 intelligence entries and eight outstanding warrants on the former Hells Angel.
At the time Bagnato, referred to as pin up boy for the St Andrews Fight Cub based at Marrickville, was on the run from NSW police over the murder of a racing identity, Bradley Dillon in Leichhardt on August 11, 2014.
Police believe Bagnato was with his cousin, Diego Carbone when Dillon was killed over a debt owed to a member of fight club. Bagnato left Australia two days after Dillon’s murder while his cousin Deigo Carbone was arrested, tried and convicted for the murder.
The Telegraph has been told it is a secret society of members, many with criminal links.
The club’s founder is an ex-bikie called Albert Rick Difloriano, has been called before the NSW Crime Commission to answer questions about the club.
A number of Bagnato associates said he spoke of the fight club and that he wanted to set up a chapter in Thailand.
Another witness, Douglas Shoebridge said after the murder he was contacted on Facebook and threatened by someone claiming to be a member of the club.
“I was advised don’t speak about St Michael’ Fight Club being in Thailand — if you do harm will come to your family and your children.
”My understanding of the club that it was just a fight club, with fighters and people who work out in gyms.
“I didn’t think anything sinister but later found out after Schneider’s murder it was um not only a fight club, it was involved in other things, underworld figures and drugs and stuff like that.’’
Former world champion boxer Jeff Fenech was formerly linked to the club when he attended a fund raising dinner for sick children at the club.
Through his lawyer Danny Eade Fenech said yesterday he knew nothing of the operations of the club and was not a member.
The court heard NSW gang Squad and homicide detectives travelled to Thailand after they heard Bagnato had been arrested for killing Schneider, who himself fled Australia in 2012 the day after two massive drug labs were discovered in Camden.
Weeks later test results found Schneider’s DNA all over the equipment.
NSW Homicide detectives have spoken to Bagnato in his Thai jail known as the “Bangkok Hilton’’. He remains philosophical about the fact he could die in prison.
“”Yeh it’s a long prison term for an accident.’’
He refused to answer any further questions about the murder of Schneider, Bradley Dillon or St Michael’s fight club.
Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan said she found that Wayne Schneider’s died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head as a result of a homicide. She would publish reasons for her finding in the next few days.