Alex Vella, born Alessio Emmanuel Vella, is the former National President of Rebels MC. He is now living permanently in Malta after the Australian Government cancelled his visa in 2014.
Alex Vella – Personal Life / Visa Problems
Alessio Emmanuel Vella was born on 5 June, 1953 in Malta, as the seventh of eleven children in the family. He is often referred to by the name of “Maltese Falcon”.
In 1967 he moved to Australia, where his family started a strawberry farm in the suburb of Horsley Park in Western Sydney while they lived in the suburb of Auburn.
He was a boxer and became the Maltese light-heavyweight champion in 1978.
He married his wife Heather and had two sons, named Adam and Alex Jnr. He had a number of different jobs within Australia, including work as a bouncer, bricklayer and labourer.
After a significant motor accident he was awarded $225,000 compensation and used this money to begin a motorcycle import business and began to establish a property portfolio. He had amassed as many as 70 motorcycles, 2 Rolls Royce (one of which had the numberplate “REBEL1”), other cars and several properties. All of this wealth was said to have been gained from good investments.
In March 2007 his son Adam Vella, a middleweight boxer, had a fight in Tokyo, Japan. Alex joined his son in Japan for the fight. While in Japan his Australian resident return visa expired, requiring him to apply for a new visa. While both his wife and two sons are citizens, Alex Vella never became a citizen of Australia, despite living in the country for several decades. The Australian government initially denied his request for a new visa based on a character assessment, notably his connections with the Rebels Motorcycle Club. Upon appeal the visa was eventually granted and he returned to Sydney from Tokyo on April 4, 2007.
In June of 2014 his visa was cancelled while he was overseas in Malta, where he owns a luxury villa. In October 2015 the courts denied any rights for further appeal.
Alex Vella – Rebels MC
He joined the Rebels Motorcycle Club in 1972 at age 19, joining the Dubbo chapter, and then went on to start the Rebels Sydney chapter.
Control of the Sydney chapter provided him with significant power within the club. He is believed to have become the Rebels National President in 1973.
He was able to use his significant wealth to assist with bankrolling the Rebels, including being the listed owner of the Western Sydney clubhouse. As of 2016 the 2.7 hectare Leppington Western Sydney Rebels clubhouse which he purchased for $198,000 in 1985 was shut down and was being leased out to a storage company for approximately $130,000 a year. This has caused some tension with members of the outlaw motorcycle club, as some were under the impression that the fees they paid to the club, and the assistance that they provided with running motorcycle shows at the clubhouse, which earned in the vicinity of $40,000 a show, were being used to pay off the mortgage on the land.
After the June 2014 cancellation of his visa where he was unable to return to Australia from Malta, his nephew, Damien Vella, took over the role of Rebels National President.
Alex Vella – Crimes / Prison
1990 – Police raid Alex Vella’s home and seize $15,000 of marijuana. He is charged and later sentenced to an 18 month term of part-time prison, part-time community service.
1995 – Around 60 Police raid his property under the belief that his assets are the proceeds of crime. Police seize assets believed to be worth in the vicinity of $3 million, including 44 Harley Davidson motorcycles, 2 Rolls Royces, four Corvettes, a Bentley and a Mercedes with the belief that the assets were the proceeds of crime. The case went to court and the result was that Alex needed to pay $650,000 to the crime commission, after which he seized assets were returned.
2008 – Alex Vella wins a court case against Permanent Mortgages, Mitchell Morgan and the ANZ bank, a case where he was at risk of losing the title deeds to three properties that he owned, including the Rebels Western Sydney Clubhouse which he purchased in 1985 for $198,000. His former business partner, Tony Caradonna, had falsely applied for $2.4 million in loans, forging Alex Vella’s details. Tony Caradonna was also found to have withdrawn $300,000 from a joint bank account, an account which was initially established to support the 2006 Anthony Mundine versus Danny Green boxing match. The mortgagees were found to have not applied enough scrutiny when performing the identification checks before they provided the loans.
Alex Vella – Media
There are no books written specifically about Alex Vella. You may be interested in viewing our extensive list of outlaw motorcycle club books.
Book – The Brotherhoods: Inside The Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs by Arthur Veno. This book takes a look at all of the outlaw motorcycle clubs in Australia, including the Rebels MC. If you are after a book that solely focuses on the Rebels MC then this is not the book that you are after, but for an excellent insight into the bigger picture of outlaw motorcycle clubs in Australia then this is a recommended read. View this book on Amazon (link opens in a new tab).
Read More:
- List of One Percenters Motorcycle Clubs
- Outlaw Motorcycle Club Books
- Historic Outlaw Biker Events and Massacres
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