Why John Ibrahim’s family and friends think he is top dog
It was the hit TV series that charted the antics of a group of friends. So when talk between Michael Ibrahim and Ryan Watsford turned to the Entourage — there was no doubt which character fitted John Ibrahim best. LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION.
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For three decades, Sydney has regarded the House of Ibrahim with fear and fascination.
Now, for the first time, we take you inside the private world of this complicated family thanks to an enormous cache of surveillance material tendered to a NSW court.
There are more than 880 phone calls and texts that were covertly recorded by police over more than a year, revealing the truth about feuds, grudges and family lore, including the secret tunnel under patriarch John Ibrahim’s Eastern Suburbs mansion.
There are hundreds of police photos taken inside Ibrahim homes during police raids, and an even larger collection of surveillance photos taken by police tailing family members and associates through the city’s streets.
The material sheds new light on the family’s networks, reaching beyond brothers John, Fadi, Michael and Sam to the far reaches of entertainment, night-life, property and crime.
On their private calls, the brothers and their associates detail their rivalries and power struggles, as well as moments of “us against the world” camaraderie and black humour.
At a long lunch table inside Point Piper’s prestigious Royal Motor Yacht Club, there is a conversation unfolding that shows exactly where John Ibrahim sits in the social hierarchy of the Ibrahim clan.
The banter between Michael Ibrahim, Ryan Watsford and a man they didn’t know was an undercover cop had turned to Watsford’s upcoming role as an actor in a film about a drug dealer.
The undercover joked that their lives may come to resemble the TV show Entourage, which charts the career of fictional A-list Hollywood heart-throb actor Vincent “Vinnie” Chase.
“Who’s Vinnie?” the undercover asked during the meal on May 5, 2017.
Michael instantly responded: “John. John’s Vinnie.”
Unfortunately for Watsford, his lunch mates agreed he was a perfect match for Vinnie’s less talented and frequently humiliated older half-brother, Johnny “Drama” Chase.
HEAR WHAT THE FAMILY REALLY THINKS OF JOHN
READ THE TRANSCRIPT: WARNING GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
“Fadi is E,” Michael said, in relation to the show’s other main character, Eric Murphy.
Michael also reserved the role of Vinnie’s driver, Turtle, for himself.
It was a brief but telling exchange, and no one at the table disputed Michael’s character allocations.
And it demonstrated the status that John Ibrahim has among his network of family and friends.
To their eyes John is the glamorous celebrity leader of their crew.
Michael may have been mocking his older brother’s public profile, or he may have made the comment believing it was the natural order among their inner circle.
In all likelihood, it was a combination of both.
From the almost 1000 phone calls that the police recorded during their investigation, it painted a picture of how John is viewed among those on the inner sanctum.
The lines between his social group and business underlings are often blurred. The clearest thing about it is its hierarchical structure. And John sits at the top.
The group includes family members like John’s younger brothers Fadi and Michael.
Then there’s the non-family members, like John’s “work wife” and financial controller Margaret Staltaro, his one time nightclub business partner Mim Salvato. Getting down the bottom of the line is Ibrahim family gofers Jaron “Oompa” Chester and Ryan Watsford.
Whether it’s a dispute over an unpaid debt or something else, they look to John to make a ruling. And John’s word is final.
While life with the Ibrahims can be a party, there are also select rules that shouldn’t be broken.
During a call on August 2, 2017, Ms Staltaro repeated to Chester one of these rules, which she had once explained to Salvato.
“Because I always used to say to him, two things you don’t do to John: touch his money or touch his girls,” Ms Staltaro said.
The rule came up because Salvato had stolen the line and repeated it to Chester.
“That’s why he’s saying that,” Ms Staltaro said. “F**kin’ get your own f**king line you f**kwit.”
So why is John the top dog in the House of Ibrahim?
From the tapped phone calls, it appears that one of the answers is that John is more successful than his family and friends. In his life, he has identified what he wants and he has gone out and got it. Typical alpha behaviour.
And he has attained the status symbols that equate to being the chief of the group.
John has the clifftop mansion, the famous friends, an endless line of gorgeous women, the beautified look.
He also has the image of the bad boy who the cops have spent decades trying to catch doing something wrong. They have been unsuccessful.
Then there is John’s career where he established himself as the top dog in one of Australia’s toughest industries — the Kings Cross nightclub scene.
Among the group, John is also viewed as the lawmaker. And he will play the role of enforcer if one of his minions breaks ranks.
When Ryan Watsford broke the rules set down by the Ibrahim family related to his partying ways, Michael Ibrahim was recorded by police telling an associate on a phone call: “Watch John knock him out himself …”
John frequently plays the role of protector and peacemaker.
When Michael was hunting Watsford to shave his head over stolen money, Watsford begged John: “You can’t let this happen.”
When Michael finally caught up with Watsford, Salvato told Watsford he was lucky John was there to prevent a violent tirade from Michael.
“And even John said, ‘Yeah mate, if I wasn’t there … you wouldn’t have been able to stop him … he would have grabbed something and stabbed all of youse’,” Salvato told Watsford in a call recorded on May 22, 2017.
“ … You’ve got the arrogance to stand behind John and like (you think) you know, he’s the boss, nothing’s going to happen to me,” Salvato said.
This character trait of John’s also extends to frequently warning his brothers to avoid trouble.
After the assassination of mafia figure Pasquale Barbaro in November 2016, John warned Michael to watch his back.
“ … Stop being so blase like nothing can happen,” John said.
But John is also tough on his brothers and will assert his dominance when it comes to money.
This was demonstrated in a call between Michael and John on November 9, 2016.
The call appeared to reference John and Fadi fighting over money. Michael called John to comment on the fallout.
“Bored are you? … Terrorising everyone,” Michael said at the start of the call.
Michael went on to say, “I bet he’s crying at his house” and that “Fadi rang me up crying”.
The issue that sparked the dispute was not explained. Whatever it was, John was unrepentant.
“Let him cry,” John said. “F**k it. We’re going to split that money if he pays.”
Tensions also exist between the non-blood relative members of the circle of trust.
One of the things that sparks conflict is competition for John’s affections.
A flare up occurred between Watsford and Salvato in late 2016. It was detailed in a call between Watsford and Michael on November 3, 2016.
Salvato, who fell on hard times and spent time living in John’s Dover Heights mansion before police raided it in 2017, had humiliated Watsford.
“He’s just a smart arse, just a cheeky smart arse,” Watsford told Michael in the call. “Put me on show in front of your brother, Margaret, Sam, just a f**kwit … Just an ungrateful prick. He wouldn’t talk like that if you were there. F**k him.”
The details of the exchange were not fully explained, but Michael told Watsford he should “never let people get too comfortable around you”.
Watsford explained: “It’s difficult when your brother feels sorry for him all the time … he’s got some hold over your brother, it doesn’t make sense.”
According to Michael, Salvato may have had an ulterior motive. That was to bring Watsford back into the fold to take over doing all the tedious jobs that Salvato had to do for John.
“You run around and get the food, you run around and do this, go get the (indistinct),” Michael said. “That’s all it is. They’re all trying to suck you in for that. You think it’s your blonde hair and blue eyes … John might not have those motives, John doesn’t care ‘cause he’s got Mim.”
Michael added: “I reckon … John likes you ‘cause you’re a funny c**t.”
Of all his brothers and sisters, John appears to be closest with Michael, the youngest Ibrahim sibling.
On November 18, 2016, Michael called John to excitedly tell his older brother about an outfit he had bought as a gift for a little girl. The little girl appeared to be John’s young daughter, whose identity and existence was revealed in early 2017.
“Bro, I just got her the cutest little outfit you’ve ever seen in your life. John, trust me…,” Michael said.
John laughed and Michael continued through his own characteristic laugh: “You know me when it comes to your kids now. F**k them …”
John concurred: “How cute is she, yeah.”
Michael described the gift.
“Matching outfits and matching shoes, bag, everything,” Michael said.
Appreciating the sentiment, John replied: “Wait till you have a daughter. You won’t be able to help yourself … you’ll see what I mean. Just calls you daddy and puts her arms around you.”
The pair also look out for each other when unwanted guests arrived at John’s house.
On February 21, 2017, Michael called John to warn him the paparazzi were outside his home.
A month later, John called Michael to say he had to flee the house.
“I got some hysterical chick at my house,” John said in the call on March 7, 2017. “That’s why I ran away. I’m heading towards Frankie’s … come there, meet me.”
Michael, who had driven to John’s house, said: “Yeah …(a) blonde-headed chick f**kin’ waiting out the front of your house.”
The pair also had nights where they let their hair down together.
On April 9, 2017, Michael told his wife Caitlyn Hall about a binge eating night when “John brought some pot over”.
“We had a joint and we’re just sitting there laughing our arses off all night, me (and) John,” Michael said.
Later in the conversation, Michael said he received a call from another friend who offered to deliver them food from McDonald’s.
“As soon as he says that, John goes, ‘Yeah, caramel sundae’,” Michael told Caitlyn. “I go, ‘Yeah, strawberry sundae … yeah, chocolate sundae’.”
It spiralled into an all out eating binge where they were joined by Watsford and Chester.
“We get five apple pies, five cheeseburgers,” Michael said. “This is after we’ve had four pizzas — ah, five pizzas already. You know what I mean?”
Two days later, Michael was chastised by Salvato over their calorie consumption.
“Oh f**kin’ … I can’t believe it. Pizza … What is wrong with you guys?” Salvato said.
Originally published as Why John Ibrahim’s family and friends think he is top dog
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