Former Comanchero bikie turned Perth social media influencer sent back to prison

A once-feared former Comanchero bikie is heading back to jail despite pleading with a judge that he had turned his life around and found a new calling mentoring young men and guiding them away from a life of drugs and crime.

Les Grantham, 52, appeared in Perth’s District Court on Thursday to face the outcome of a charge of dealing with the proceeds of crime from five years ago.

The court was told Grantham had been found sitting at a kitchen table in the Balcatta home of his now ex-girlfriend in June 2021 next to a box containing almost $100,000 in cash.

Australian Federal Police had raided the house as part of Operation Ironside, a three-year covert investigation carried out in conjunction with the FBI targeting organised crime groups.

Grantham pleaded guilty to the charge and messages revealed he was holding on to the money for then-partner Breann Gentilli, who allegedly owed it to Raymond Cilli, a bikie who was once state commander of the Comancheros and who fled overseas following threats to his life.

Gentilli has pleaded not guilty to two charges of dealing with the proceeds of crime and will take the allegations to trial next year.

Although Commonwealth prosecutors on Thursday admitted Grantham played a minimal role in what they alleged was the facilitation of money made through the proceeds of selling drugs, Judge Mark Ritter told the former bikie he still felt he should be jailed for his involvement.

Grantham’s lawyer, Nick Scerri, tried to argue a community-based sentence would be more effective, given he was in the process of “a marathon” journey towards turning his life around.

“It’s clear he is in a period of change … it is legitimate change,” he said.

“Your honour will be familiar with commonly use phrase ‘a leopard can’t change its spots’, but he is in a marathon not a sprint trying to change its spots.”

Last year, Grantham was shot at and then burned with a blowtorch. He had fallen out with his Comanchero gang mates, was excommunicated from the group and dumped outside Rockingham Hospital and left for dead following the attack.

In a letter he wrote to the court ahead of Thursday’s sentencing, Grantham said the incident was “for the best” as it led him to have no further involvement with the gang and launched his rehabilitation.

Since then, he has got married, become a step-father and gone through the process of IVF with his new wife, who is now pregnant with his child.

Grantham has also launched a new career as a social media influencer, using Instagram as a way to communicate with and mentor younger men who may be considering a life of crime.

“He uploads video clips daily giving advice on what he has seen,” Scerri said.

“Someone with his background can speak with real authority to a young man who is beginning to offend can say, ‘I have been to jail, I have lived and breathed it’.

“There is a journey on foot, but the issues he suffered as a child are something he has reflected on.”

Grantham admitted in one of his videos that he was the victim of child sexual abuse at the age of 10 at the hands of a YMCA worker in Victoria, who was charged following his complaint.

Scerri told the court Grantham now finds his previous offending “abhorrent”.

“He is now understanding that what he does has an impact on the community,” he said.

“He made the comment – he now wishes to give back to the community what he took, ‘I want to give back what I have taken’.”

Grantham wiped away tears as Scerri spoke on his behalf.

But after Ritter listed Grantham’s lengthy criminal history that included multiple stints behind bars for a range of offences including possession of drugs with intent to sell, traffic offences, fighting in public, displaying insignia, attempting to pervert the course of justice, stealing a motor vehicle and demanding property by oral threats, he said he could not deal with Grantham’s current charge by way of a community order.

“I think a term of imprisonment must be imposed,” he said.

Grantham was sentenced to 14 months in jail but only has to serve half before he will be released on a good behaviour recognisance order for the second half.