Murdered lawyer’s fortune split between sons, nieces & nephews

The lawyer, famous for representing a raft of underworld personalities, left nothing to his lover of two decades.

The estate of slain Melbourne lawyer Joseph ‘Pino’ Acquaro will be split between his three sons and his nieces and nephews.
 
However, the lawyer famous for representing gangland personalities has left nothing to his partner of 20 years, a report from the Herald Sun revealed.
 
Acquaro had a fortune of about $3.7m before he was killed while his insurance policy was worth over $700,000. The lawyer had debt of just over $2m.
 
The lawyer wrote his will in August 2015 after learning he would be killed. His remaining fortune was divided into equal portions and he appropriated two portions for each of his estranged sons and a portion each for his nieces and nephews.
 
He reportedly had a strained relationship with Marisa Di Lisio, his partner of 20 years, in the months before he was killed. He left nothing to her.
 
Acquaro, who was 55, was gunned down in the early hours of March 15 while he walked to his car after he closed his Lygon Street gelato parlour Gelobar.
 
Police have since learned that a bounty of $200,000 was initially taken out on Acquaro, but was increased to $500,000 shortly before he was killed.
 
Acquaro represented Frank Madafferi and Pasquale Barbaro in the 2007 case where the two were accused of importing 1.2 million ecstasy tablets into Australia from Italy. Madafferi was jailed for 10 years and Barbaro is serving a life sentence.
 
According to reports, Madafferi and Acquaro reportedly had a falling out leading authorities to suspect the mafia boss of ordering the hit. Madafferi has denied any link to the lawyer’s murder.
 
The Purana Taskforce, Victoria Police’s gangland unit, is investigating the murder.
 

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