Mick Gatto Released Without Charge After Taskforce Hawk Raids Mount Martha Home and Melbourne CBD in Financial Crimes Investigation
Victoria Police arrested the 70-year-old underworld figure and his wife in a dawn raid on Wednesday, seizing electronic devices and two controlled weapons, before releasing both without charge pending further inquiries.
Melbourne underworld identity Mick Gatto has been released without charge after detectives from Victoria Police's Taskforce Hawk executed search warrants at his Mount Martha home and in the Melbourne central business district on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged financial offences and criminal behaviour in the construction industry.
Detectives from Taskforce Hawk, the specialised Victoria Police squad targeting construction industry corruption, descended on the couple's Mount Martha home on Wednesday morning to execute a search warrant. According to a police spokeswoman, the raid stems from a "current investigation into alleged financial offences."
Police said detectives from Taskforce Hawk also executed warrants in the Melbourne central business district. The pair were later released pending further inquiries. "Police also seized a number of items including electronic devices and two controlled weapons including a baton and knife," police said in a statement. "The investigation, which commenced earlier this year, remains ongoing."
Other Stories-
-Peabo Bryson Dies at 75 After Stroke: Music World Mourns Grammy‑Winning Songsmith
-Trump Renews 51st State Threat After Canada Enters Technical Recession for First Time Since 2020
Gatto and his wife Cheryl, both in their 70s, were arrested and interviewed by police before being released without charge. No charges have been laid against either person. Victoria Police have not confirmed a timeline for the conclusion of the investigation.
Gatto's links to the Watson Report
Gatto's name appears 165 times in barrister Geoffrey Watson's Rotting from the Top report, commissioned by former CFMEU administrator Mark Irving KC. The report described Gatto as someone who "claims he is a 'mediator and arbitrator' but others including a federal judge say he is 'a standover man and a gangster' … closely associated with a number of violent and dangerous criminals in Melbourne."
Watson described what he called Gatto's extortion model, where he would reportedly ring contractors and tell them he could stop work at a site at a moment's notice unless he was paid a fee. The Watson Report is a publicly available primary source document, published by the CFMEU Inquiry and accessible at cfmeuinquiry.qld.gov.au.
Gatto has denied being a construction industry standover man. "The Big Build has never, ever paid me a penny," he told 10 News in February 2026. "The government has never, ever paid me a penny. The unions have never ever paid me a penny."
M1 Trades & Labour licence cancellation
In March 2026, Victoria's Labour Hire Authority confirmed it issued a notice of intention to cancel M1 Trades & Labour Pty Ltd's licence after the company was accused of links to Gatto. Watson noted Gatto denied ownership of M Group companies but said the claim was "transparently false," with "dummy directors" allegedly installed to do his bidding.
Broader construction industry crackdown
Premier Jacinta Allan on Monday suggested police and industry regulators were cleaning up the construction industry, with 88 criminal charges laid and more than 150 licences cancelled. Her government also committed to giving the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission "follow the money" powers by late 2027, a decade after the watchdog first called for the change.
Taskforce Hawk was established specifically to tackle criminal behaviour in the construction sector. Wednesday's raid is the most high-profile action carried out by the taskforce to date.
The unique angle worth noting: Wednesday's raid represents a significant operational escalation for Taskforce Hawk. The simultaneous execution of warrants at a residential property 50 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD and at a separate CBD location on the same morning indicates a coordinated multi-site investigation a tactic typically reserved for cases where investigators believe evidence may be distributed across locations or where simultaneous action is necessary to prevent destruction of material. The seizure of electronic devices specifically suggests the investigation's focus is on digital financial records, communications, or both.
