Melbourne Gangland Killings - Arrests and Sentencing

Arrests and Sentencing

Carl Williams was later charged along with Victor Brincat and Thomas Hentschel . He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges relating to his arrest in 2001 and in October 2004 was given a seven year jail sentence, which he was serving in the maximum security Acacia unit of Barwon Prison at the time of his death.

Thomas Hentschel turned informer and consequently, on 17 September 2004, Alfonso Traglia, Victor Brincat and Carl Williams were charged with the murders of Jason Moran and Pasquale Barbaro. In May 2005 Carl Williams was additionally charged with the murder of Mark Moran, after a former employee agreed to testify that he was Carl's driver on the day of the incident, and drove him to a location near Mark's house at the time of the murder. Zarah Garde-Wilson, the widow of Lewis Caine, is defending all of the men in their court cases.

Conspiracy to murder charges against George Defteros and Mario Condello were dropped nolle prosequi by the DPP in June 2005.

In May 2005, Keith Faure, brother Noel Faure, 50, and Evangelos Goussis, 37, all of Geelong were charged with the murder of Lewis Moran and the attempted murder of Bert Wrout. Security footage from Moran's murder showed that one of the gunmen had a tattoo identical to one of the accused. Previously Keith and Evangelos been charged with the murder of Lewis Caine. Faure and associate, Evangelos Goussis became the first convicted of murder related to the gangland killings on 3 November 2005.

Known underworld figure Nicholas Ibrahim and Abraham Mokdessi was charged with the murder of Housam Zayat. During the trial in June 2005 an eyewitness to the shooting refused at the last minute to testify against Ibrahim, and was charged with contempt of court.

In June 2005 Domenic Gatto was found not guilty of the murder of Andrew Veniamin. During the trial, he claimed he had acted in self-defence after Veniamin pulled out a .38 and threatened to kill him. Gatto claims that during a struggle he was able to turn the gun around on Veniamin and fire one shot into his neck, and one shot in the eye. He also claimed that during the argument, Veniamin had implicated himself in the deaths of Dino Dibra, Paul Kallipolitis and Graham Kinniburgh.

On 3 November 2005, Keith Faure and Evangelos Goussis became the first convicted with murder related to the Melbourne gangland killings. Both have appealed their conviction.

On 14 July 2006, Damien Cossu was arrested at gunpoint while driving in Sydney. He was charged with the murder of Mark Mallia whose tortured body was stuffed in a wheelie bin, dumped in a stormwater drain and set alight. Cossu was also present at the murder of Nik Radev.

On 28 February 2007, Carl Williams pleaded guilty to murdering Jason Moran in June 2003 and his father Lewis Moran in March 2004. He also pleaded guilty to a third murder, but the name of that victim was suppressed until recently when it was announced that it was Mark Mallia.

On 6 June 2007, it was announced that Mokbel had been arrested in a café in Athens. At the time of his arrest, his appearance had changed significantly from when he went missing. Wearing a brown stuff wig and having grown a beard, Mokbel was found carrying a fake Australian passport and driver's license in the name of Stephen Papas. Tony Mokbel was finally extradited back to Melbourne (and Barwon Prison) on 17 May 2008, from Athens via a heavily guarded, private charter plane. His flight path included refuelling in the Maldives and Port Hedland, before landing at Tullamarine. He was then flown in a police helicopter to Barwon Prison. He appeared via video link to the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 20 May 2008.

On the same night Mokbel was arrested, police carried out a raid on an underworld gang calling themselves 'The Company'. Fourteen other underworld figures were arrested in Melbourne. Drugs, weapons and $790,000 in cash were seized.

Purana Taskforce detectives arrested Angelo Mario Venditti for the murder of Paul Kallipoitis on 29 July 2008.

On 9 March 2011, Judy Moran, the mother of slain sons, Mark and Jason Moran and also the ex-de facto partner of Lewis Moran (who was murdered in 2004) was found guilty of the murder of her brother-in-law Desmond "Tuppence" Moran. Moran claimed that she was visiting her son, Mark's grave at Fawkner cemetery at the time as the date of the murder was also the ninth anniversary of Mark's death. But the real motive for the crime was on ongoing dispute between Judy and Des over the money remaining after the murders of three family members. Judy Moran drove the shooter, Geoffery Armour and also accomplice Michael Farrugia to and from the Ascot Vale deli where Des was eventually shot and killed. It was then revealed that Armour pleaded guilty to the murder of Des Moran with Farrugia pleading guilty to manslaughter months earlier before becoming the prosecution's star witness in the case against Judy Moran in which the jury took seven days to deliberate before finally finding Moran guilty of murder.