Crime bosses suspected Joe Acquaro was police informer

MOBSTERS were convinced mafia lawyer Joe Acquaro was working with police before he was executed as he left his Italian restaurant.

MOBSTERS were convinced mafia lawyer Joe Acquaro was working with police before he was executed as he left his Italian restaurant.

Two senior organised crime figures wanted him dead and bankrolled a $250,000 contract on his head, the Herald Sun has been told.

An interstate hitman was asked to carry out the murder months ­before Acquaro was gunned down at his Gelobar in Lygon St, Brunswick East. That man has been spoken to by detectives and is not considered a suspect.

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Mick Gatto was also ­approached to organise a hit, but refused, Acquaro believed.

Acquaro’s ambition caused fury among mafia bosses. Picture: Supplied

Acquaro refused to enter the witness security program. Picture: Supplied

Police have been guarded over their probe into the murder, two years ago, but it can be revealed:

ALLEGED mafia figure Tony Madafferi, who made headlines last year over a lobster dinner with Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, former councillor Michael Teti and the suspected shooter are among those the homicide squad has spoken to;

AN Acquarorelative’s shop was blasted with gunfire days ­before his murder;

THE lawyer’sDocklands apartment was ransacked hours after the shooting, with allegations more than $200,000 hidden in household appliances was taken; and

ACQUARO was aligning himself with powerful Italian organised crime figure Rocco Arico and spoke of “toppling” a man regarded as “the Godfather”.

A small firearm, believed to be a .22 calibre handgun, was used to shoot Acquaro.

Sources said a key motive for the murder was likely the view in the criminal underworld that he was co-operating with authorities.

Acquaro’s ambition to become head of the Honoured Society in Victoria also caused fury among established mafia bosses.

And his role as a gangland lawyer was viewed as a threat because of the intimate knowledge he had of the ­affairs of feared criminals and their dangerous associates.

Acquaro was gunned down outside his Gelobar in Lygon St, Brunswick East. Picture: Nicole Garmston

The murder investigation has focused on a labourer who did occasional work for Acquaro at Gelobar, his Brunswick East restaurant.

That man had been bashed by Acquaro and police subsequently seized his ute for ­forensic examination.

While he has not been ruled out as the culprit, it is believed Purana taskforce ­detectives are now focusing on whether the murder, on March 15, 2016, was the result of a wider conspiracy, with or without him.

Shortly before his death, Acquaro told the Herald Sun a member of an Albanian crime group contacted him to say he had been approached to kill him and his life was in danger.

The Albanian man had been given a picture of Acquaro. Detectives investigating the murder are aware Albanians were approached to carry out the hit.

In mid-2015, police went to the Heatherton fruit shop of businessman Tony Madafferi to warn him to stay away from Acquaro.

Police sources say that having detectives approach Mr Madafferi — a former client of Acquaro — about the alleged contract was a tactical mistake because it confirmed the once-trusted adviser was co-operating with authorities.

Acquaro, who remained a solicitor, refused to enter the witness security program ­despite police advice that his life was in peril.

Mourners at Acquaro’s funeral. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

He had become isolated from powerful Honoured Society figures in the years ­before his death. Animosity turned to violence when he fought with Mr Madafferi’s brother, Frank, at the Gelobar.

It has also emerged that Acquaro had a fascination with “black magic”.

His last phone call, just hours before his death, was to a Melbourne “white witch”.

He had made numerous calls to her 1800 line, his last at 10.02pm on March 14, 2016, lasting 27 minutes.

He made four phone calls to her line that evening.

Meanwhile, one of Acquaro’s sons has applied to have an inquest on his father, but it has been temporarily rejected while the police investigation continues.

Allegations have surfaced that standover tactics were used during a bitter contest over Acquaro’s will. After his death, the estate was contested by his three sons, who each demanded a bigger slice.

The eldest, Alfredo Jr, dropped his case against the executor, Acquaro’s brother Massimo and his grandfather, Alfredo Snr, after it was filed.

The two youngest sons, Alessio and Adriano, each received a large settlement in a protracted and complex legal dispute. Acquaro’s father, ­Alfredo, bought the Gelobar during the estate ­negotiations.

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