Fedele D’Amico suing Brian Amatruda for a share of a $22m Metro tunnel property deal
A man who was once the alleged target of a mafia kill plot and his former business partner are locked in a bitter court feud over a multi-million dollar sale linked to Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel.
Exclusive: A colourful Melbourne identity is suing his former business partner for a share of a $22 million Metro tunnel property deal.
Fedele D’Amico, 58, once the alleged target of a mafia kill plot, has lodged a claim in the Victorian County Court against fight promoter Brian Amatruda and his company, Melbourne Cup Pty Ltd.
The court claim alleges he was cut out of the sale of a former glue factory in Kensington.
Mr D’Amico says he is owed 10 per cent of the deal, estimated to be $2.2 million.
Mr Amatruda and another colleague had paid $650,000 in 1998 for land at 1-39 Hobsons Road Kensington in Melbourne’s inner north.
The Victorian Government gave notice it would “compulsorily acquire” the land and valued it at $12m in 2017.
Then the award was later varied to $22m in 2023 when the deal was struck, according to the writ.
Mr D’Amico, who was subject to a Victoria Police ban on him attending any racetrack in the state before it was overturned, claims he had a long-standing verbal agreement to receive a share of Mr Amatruda’s property deals.
Mr D’Amico was also claiming he was shorted $200,000 from the sale of another property in Melbourne Road, Spotswood.
However, Mr Amatruda told this masthead Mr D’Amico’s legal action was a tactic.
Mr D’Amico said: “It’s a dispute, that’s it”. He added that sometimes “friends fall out”.
Mr Amatruda said Mr D’Amico had already lost a Supreme Court civil action against him and this was another bid to get a settlement out of him.
The property tycoon said he denied all claims made by Mr D’Amico and that he would file a multimillion dollar counter claim and his defence to this civil case this week.
Court documents filed by Mr D’Amico state the pair met in 1996 and became friends and business associates.
Among their business ventures involved the sale of tobacco and also building materials to construction sites.
They also got into the pub business buying into the Tottenham Hotel in Sunshine.
“As a result of their friendship and the ventures together they gave one another very substantial gifts,” the writ states.
The dispute over the Kensington site stems from an alleged 2006 agreement where Mr D’Amico would get a share in any property development Mr Amatruda embarked upon “in consideration of D’Amico identifying actual or potential business ventures which might be pursued jointly by them.”
“The agreement was partly oral and partly implied,” the writ states.
Texts and emails between the pair are also being relied upon along with a conversation held at a cafe in a St Kilda cafe.
Mr Amatruda said his friendship with Mr D’Amico ended about three years ago.
In 2008, Mr D’Amico was the alleged target of a kill plot police say was ordered by mafia figure Pasquale Barbaro.
The alleged hit, according to police documents, was ordered after Mr D’Amico was wrongly blamed for the doomed “Tomato Tins” drug importation.
The shipment seized by the Australian Federal Police in 2007 was at the time the world’s biggest ecstasy bust.
It would later be revealed that barrister Nicola Gobbo had tipped off police to the drugs.
Police alleged in court that the plot to kill Mr D’Amico was to occur outside a fight night in Docklands before a second attempt was to be made at Mick Gatto’s son’s wedding.
The suave businessman has owned several race horses – including one with Mr Amatruda – and has had associations with police officers.
Mr Amatruda is a former bail justice and justice of the peace turned fight promoter who says he once posted D’Amico’s bail and gave him a place to live.
