Carl Williams’ Al Capone theory on Mick Gatto
Carl Williams predicted fellow underworld figure Mick Gatto would end up “like Al Capone” but Gatto would emerge as gangland’s great survivor.
Police & Courts
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Carl Williams wanted people to believe that his mate Andrew “Benji’’ Veniamin did not have a gun when he was shot dead in a Carlton restaurant in early 2004.
Conversations recorded by police in the days after Veniamin’s death reveal Williams’ disdain for Mick Gatto, who a year later would be acquitted of Veniamin’s murder on the grounds of self-defence.
Williams had been with Veniamin in the hours before the hitman’s confrontation with Gatto at his regular meeting place at La Porcella restaurant on March 23, and remained convinced that his mate was unarmed.
But a jury heard Gatto had wrestled a gun from Veniamin after he attempted to shoot him in a hallway at the rear of the restaurant.
Gatto then waited for the police to arrive, knowing he would be taken into custody.
In June 2005, as he walked free from the Supreme Court after his acquittal, Gatto declared: “Thank God for the jury system’’.
At the time of his death Veniamin was a suspect in five gangland killings.
Less than a month after Veniamin’s fatal shooting, Williams gave his insights during a bugged phone call on April 19, 2004 – six years to the day before he, too, became a gangland victim.
The conversation began when a male caller informed Williams of Gatto’s problems with the Australian Taxation Office.
“You hear Gatto’s got a big tax problem apparently …’’ the caller said.
“He had a tax liability of almost a million dollars, but he made a deal to pay quarter of it … And they’ve overturned the deal and he owes a million dollars tax.”
The caller suggested that if police did not get Gatto for shooting Veniamin, they might get him for his tax issues.
Williams was pleased with the news and they even joked about how it was “like Al Capone”.
“I think they’ll get him on both,’’ Williams replied. But he was wrong on both counts, with Gatto reaching an agreement with the tax office, as well as being acquitted of the Veniamin murder.
The pair agreed they had no idea what evidence the Purana taskforce had against Gatto over Veniamin’s shooting.
Veniamin is believed to have shot up to seven people. Despite that, Williams declared: “As I told you, what happened, but who knows – I know the other bloke never had a gun,’’ in reference to Veniamin.
The male who was speaking with Williams wondered if a gun was planted on Veniamin after he was shot dead.
Williams made a flippant comment about wanting Gatto, who was remanded in custody, outside prison walls.
“I’d prefer him out here than in there,’’ he said with a laugh.
The conversation switched to Carlton Crew member Mario Condello, who for a period left Melbourne for Sicily to escape the gangland feuding.
Williams knew that Condello and veteran crook Lewis Moran had put a contract on his head and he was already plotting Condello’s murder. But he would have “Old Man” Moran killed first.
He mentioned to the caller that he had heard Condello had been quizzed about guns.
The caller was interested in more details.
“ Cause he’s supposed to be the one looking after things while Mick’s (Gatto) inside, isn’t he?’’ the male replied.
Williams retorted: “What’s there to look after? He can’t even look after himself … I bumped into him the other week, down somewhere. They went white. Thought they’d seen a ghost.’’
Gatto, a former heavyweight boxer, would emerge as gangland’s great survivor.
After his trial he would resume his lucrative career in mediation and arbitration while his nemesis, Williams – who feared Gatto – joined the ranks of the condemned.
Williams struck back eight days after Veniamin was killed, while Gatto was on remand for the crime. Lewis Moran was gunned down in a Brunswick pub.
Prior to his murder, Moran had been told by police he was in danger. Regardless, he kept to his old routines.
His drinking mate, Bert Wrout, would later say Moran was killed over his insistence on drinking cheap beer.
And the cheapest beer he could find was served at The Brunswick Club in Sydney Rd.
The plot to kill Moran, the father of Jason and stepfather of Mark, was hatched before Veniamin met his end but played out afterwards.
As one of the hit team members would tell a court, Williams was incensed and wanted to send the Carlton Crew a message.
That message was sent on March 31, 2004, a day after Veniamin’s funeral.
The last words Moran uttered to drinking pal Wrout as two balaclava-clad men burst into the pub was “I’m off here’’.
A statement by one of the first police officers on the scene conveyed the plight of Wrout, who was wounded but survived, in the minutes after the shooting.
The policeman asked Wrout, who was struggling to breathe, where he was shot and he replied in the chest and arm.
Wrout then clammed up, refusing to ask questions.
“Who shot you?” an officer asked. But Wrout would only reply: “They’re weak f---in’ c---s”.
“Who?” the officer inquired to no reply. “What happened?”
Wrout ignored the question and asked about Moran.
“How’s Lewis?” he asked.
“Lewis who?” the officer replied.
“Lewis Moran. He’s here,” Wrout said.
It is noteworthy that Williams made a phone call to his cousin at 5.57pm on the day of the Brunswick Club ambush – possibly as part of an alibi.
That call was made about half an hour before Moran was gunned down by two of his hired goons.
Barely anything was said other than a plan to meet the next morning.
After Moran’s murder, underworld figure Sean Sonnet was busy trying to contact Williams after watching the TV news.
He finally got through at 9.06pm.
“Carl … are you all right, mate?’’ Sonnet asked.
“Yeah. Yeah, cool,’’ Williams replied.
“Have you gotten it on the news? Channel 7 just said a news flash – two just got it … in Brunswick.’’
“Yeah, Lewis Moran,’’ Williams said.
“Yeah, yeah. That’s what it, yeah, I, I didn’t know who it was. Oh, it just … it just came up then, mate. Are you all right?’’ Sonnet inquired.
“Yeah, no, no worries … I’ve been home,’’ Williams told him and anyone else listening in. Before ending the call, the pair promised to catch up.
Williams would ultimately plead guilty to the murder of Lewis Moran and his only biological son, Jason.
Mark Moran’s murder in 2000 remains unsolved, officially.
But at this juncture in March 2004, Williams still had unfinished business with the Carlton Crew.
A plot to kill money man Condello was at the forefront of his mind.
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