For other uses of the same name, see Lester.
Lester Crest (also known as Long John Teabag/LJT) is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as a central character and the main deuteragonist in Grand Theft Auto V, and as a main character in Grand Theft Auto Online.
History[]
Background[]
Lester was born with a wasting disease that has destroyed his muscle strength to the point where he has to manoeuvre in a wheelchair, though he can still walk short distances with the help of a cane.
Sometime after he finished his studies, Lester applied for a faculty position at the University of San Andreas, Los Santos, but was not accepted. As an act of revenge, he hacked their systems, a fact that Lester claims "never gets old". [2]
At an unknown point in time, Lester moved out to the Midwest, where he met and became affiliated with bank robbers Michael Townley and Trevor Philips, and became a regular member of their heist crews since the start of their partnership, working mostly as a planner and information scout. During this time, Lester likely told both of them about the Union Depository, a superbank in Los Santos where the government keeps their gold reserve, leading to the three of them to come up with potential schemes on how to rob the place. In 2004, Lester refused to participate in robbing a cash storage facility in Ludendorff, North Yankton, believing it was a bad idea. His suspicions are later confirmed when he discovers that, during this same heist, Michael was apparently gunned down and another associate, Brad, was subsequently arrested.
Following the botched heist, Lester moved to Los Santos and purchased a garment factory in La Mesa, along with several other properties to use as fronts for his various operations. During this time, Lester investigated the Ludendorff heist and learned that Michael was alive but had faked his death and moved to Los Santos as well, having previously made a deal with FIB agent Dave Norton. However, as Michael never revealed that Lester was part of the crew, Lester in turn never revealed Michael's secret. Lester also lost contact with Trevor, but secretly kept tabs on his and Michael's whereabouts.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online in 2013[]
Meeting the player[]
In 2013, the player is introduced to Lester in Grand Theft Auto Online upon reaching rank 10; Lester phones them and asks to meet up at his house in El Burro Heights. When the pair meet, he informs the player of their growing reputation and suggests that they invest their money in real estate in order to protect it from being robbed. Before the player leaves, Lester tells them they are able to put a bounty on other players by simply calling him. If the player sets a bounty on another player, Lester will take a cut of $1,000.
From version 1.15, the player could receive messages from Lester, who required a target be eliminated for easy cash. These jobs were removed from version 1.29 but remained playable on the original versions until their access to GTA Online was shut down in December 2021.
Contact Missions[]
As the player increases their rank and reputation, Lester provides more jobs, mostly stealing vehicles or other items, retrieving people of interest, or decreasing the capacity of the law enforcement in Los Santos. For most of these missions, Lester uses his warehouse as a pick-up or drop-off point.
Lester seems to have a distaste for Merryweather Security and is disgruntled by its increasing scale of domestic operations. Because of his negative feelings and also for opportunistic reasons, he instructs the player to steal a Titan plane, two Buzzard Attack Choppers, a secretly-developed electromagnetic weapon, and a container full of weapons from them, to be used for his other, undisclosed projects.
Heists[]
Lester sends a text message to the player, asking to meet him in his factory, to talk about an opportunity. Lester then introduces the player to the online Heists. He and Paige Harris help the player in the execution of a heist, targeting a safety deposit box at the Chumash branch of Fleeca.
Afterwards, he refers the players to other heists he wants no part in, but still takes a finder's fee for the referral. Finally, Lester leads the player on a final heist, where they rob the Pacific Standard Public Depository Bank.
Lester also would request the GTA Online Protagonist to distract the cops occasionally to allow his contact to safely escape. The feature was removed from the Enhanced Edition in the Freemode Events Update and remained exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions until they were shut down.
Bikers[]
Lester, under the nickname "Long John Teabag" and using a voice changer,[3][4][5] helps the player set up and run illegal business for their Motorcycle Club, using The Open Road, a network server run by him.
Events of Grand Theft Auto V[]
Lester and Michael reunite after nearly a decade when Michael finds himself in need of money after unintentionally angering Cartel boss Martin Madrazo by pulling his mistress' house down a hill, believing it to be the home of Kyle Chavis, a tennis coach who'd slept with his wife. Lester agrees to help, but only after Michael assassinates Lifeinvader CEO Jay Norris, who Lester had long since became enraged with due to Norris' use of child labor and the "messiah complex" he developed. Lester also planned to make a profit by buying Lifeinvader shares at minimal price, only to sell them at inflated ones later, after Norris' death. Once the assassination is completed, Lester helps Michael, and his new associate Franklin Clinton, pull off a robbery at the Vangelico jewel store in Portola Drive, which covers the cost of the repairs to Madrazo's house.
Later in the game, Lester hires Franklin several times to pull off other similar assassinations in order to amass a fortune in the stock market. Lester buys up large amounts of stock in the rival companies of his targets when their share prices are low, so that their share prices will rise significantly following the assassinations and Lester can sell his shares at a profit. Other victims include Brett Lowrey, the CEO of Bilkinton Research who had recently come under fire for manufacturing faulty erectile dysfunction medication; four corrupt jurors who planned to throw out a lawsuit against Redwood Cigarettes; Jackson Skinner, the Head of Product Development at Facade at the center of a data mining scandal; Isaac Penny, a venture capitalist who planned to acquire a majority share of Vapid Motor Company simply to outsource most of the jobs; and Enzo Bonelli, a mobster turned real estate developer who blackmailed his way into several construction contracts for Los Santos.
Lester reunites with Trevor after the latter stole an unknown superweapon from a private security company named Merryweather Security, and convinces him to return it in order to not get hunted down by many major national governments. Additionally, he helps the protagonists plan out a robbery on a County Bank to finance an FIB operation, helps Franklin rescue Michael after he's captured by Wei Cheng's triad due to his connection with Trevor, helps Michael and Franklin carry out a break-in on the FIB Headquarters to delete incriminating files about the team and Agent Steve Haines, and helps the three protagonists find and rescue Franklin's friend Lamar Davis after Franklin's former friend Stretch betrayed him to the Ballas. Finally, he ultimately helps the trio pull off the biggest score of their careers: a robbery on the Union Depository. If the player chooses the Obvious approach to The Big Score, Lester will travel as a passenger in Trevor's helicopter and shoot down pursuing Merryweather helicopters with a Rocket Launcher.
Endings[]
By the end of the game, Franklin is given separate orders by Steve Haines and Devin Weston to kill one of his friends. Haines wants him to kill Trevor and Weston wants him to kill Michael. The player then has to choose between carrying out Haines' instructions, carrying out Weston's, or disregarding them both and getting together with both Michael and Trevor to take out their enemies.
The Third Way[]
Franklin contacts Lester and asks him for help on figuring out what to do. Lester initially suggests killing both Trevor and Michael, but eventually comes up with a better way to solve the problem. He lures Haines' corrupt FIB allies and Weston's private Merryweather battalion to a foundry where the three protagonists ambush and kill all of them, stripping both Haines and Weston of their brute force power. Afterwards, Lester acquires the locations of all of the protagonists' enemies (after Franklin explains to him that Stretch's real name is Harold Joseph), allowing them to take out their enemies once and for all. Michael kills Stretch, Franklin kills Wei Cheng and Trevor kills Haines before going to Devin Weston mansion to kidnap him. Trevor takes Weston to a cliff in Blaine County where he meets up with Michael and Franklin and all three protagonists proceed to mock a terrified Weston before pushing the car he is in off the cliff, killing him. After the assassinations are carried out, Lester sends all three protagonists their respective shares from the UD job and congratulates them on a job well done.
Something Sensible/The Time's Come[]
In these endings, Lester only appears again through an email he sends to the two surviving protagonists. If Trevor is killed, he sends Franklin and Michael their share of the Union Depository job and splits Trevor's share between them, as well as claiming to be "rather disappointed" that things "had to end as they did". If Michael is killed, Lester sends Franklin and Trevor their shares of the Union Depository job and sends Michael's share to his family, while at the same time stating in his email that he hopes neither Franklin nor Trevor was involved in Michael's death.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online after 2013[]
The Doomsday Heist[]
In 2017, Lester contacts the GTA Online Protagonist, saying he has found opportunities more lucrative than the traditional bank heists, which can be utilized under a SecuroServ VIP contract, a SecuroServ CEO organization, or a registered Motorcycle Club. The player begins by purchasing a government facility, where Lester meets them along with a billionaire named Avon Hertz and his AI neural network named Cliffford. Avon claims that he and Cliffford have unfolded a doomsday plot from an unknown foreign entity and is looking to hire some people for taking on extremely dangerous missions, such as infiltrating the NOOSE building and stealing an Avenger from Merryweather. Thus, Lester and the protagonist agree to become hired guns for Avon.
In the, conclusion of Act 1, Avon sends the protagonist to a secret IAA facility beneath the Satellite Relay Station which is under attack by Merryweather Security. Avon claims that Merryweather was hired by an "unknown" client and that it is the protagonist's job to clear the facility of hostile activity and rescue any IAA agents still alive. After the attack is foiled, Agent 14 and Phoenicia Rackman reluctantly team up with Avon on behalf of the International Affairs Agency. The three of them hire Lester and the protagonist to find the "unknown" client who paid off Merryweather and uncover their intentions. The trail eventually leads to the Ramius, a Russian submarine off the coast of Paleto Bay, and a rogue Russian special ops unit led by a mysterious Russian agent called Bogdan.
In the conclusion of Act 2, the protagonist, with the help of Lester, infiltrates the Ramius and eliminates anyone who stands in their way. After Avon orders them to upload Cliffford into the sub's mainframe, Bogdan reveals himself and tells the protagonist that Avon and Cliffford are actually planning to launch a nuclear missile, resulting in mutually assured destruction, and that he was only trying to stop them. Avon reveals his true colors and Cliffford initiates the sub's self-destruct sequence to destroy all "evidence". Lester orders the protagonist to jump ship and Bogdan willingly provides them with some scuba gear before taking flight in an escape pod, after which the Ramius explodes. After escaping, the protagonist regroups with Lester, Rackman, and Agent 14 at the Los Santos International Airport.
After killing Avon and destroying Cliffford in the Act 3 finale, the protagonist reconvenes with Lester, Agent 14, and Rackman at the Galileo Observatory and is congratulated on their success and for stopping a nuclear war. Lester, speaking for the protagonist and himself, tells Rackman that they will settle for their "fat paycheck" and Rackman agrees to pay. A socially awkward Lester then tries to initiate "small talk" with the protagonist before giving up and saying "Well, this has been... horrifying... really, really horrifying but... also pretty fun. So, bye bye.".
At the conclusion of The Doomsday Heist, Lester calls the protagonist and informs them that due to their work in stopping Avon, Lester will no longer charge the player when they need police attention removed.
The Diamond Casino Heist[]
In 2019, Lester unexpectedly contacts the GTA Online Protagonist, asking them to meet him at Mirror Park for a new opportunity. When the protagonist arrives, Lester is angry at the player for messaging him and tells them that he is done with heists. When the protagonist shows Lester that he messaged them, Lester realizes that his phone was hacked. The hacker, Georgina Cheng, immediately shows up with her associate Huang on behalf of Cheng Family Holdings. She claims that she wants the two of them to rob The Diamond Casino & Resort for her, due to the Duggan Crime Family recently taking control of the casino from them. Though reluctant to do so, Lester agrees to help and tells the protagonist to purchase an Arcade Center to be used as a front for the heist, with him hiring staff, including his old friend Michael's son Jimmy, to make the purchase seem legitimate. Lester briefly explains to the protagonist that Jimmy is a "family friend", and Jimmy refers to Lester as "my Uncle Les", indicating Lester is still close friends with Michael and his family by this time.
Later on, Lester meets up with the protagonist at their newly purchased Arcade center and runs them through some basic business setup to get the place up and running before they can plan the heist in the basement. Lester remains behind the scenes as the heist planner and gives instructions on the Prep missions and eventually the heist itself. Once it is pulled off, Lester regroups with the crew on the roof of the building directly across from the casino to celebrate. Georgina then unexpectedly arrives and flirts with him, eventually making out passionately on the rooftop as they begin a romantic relationship.
After the heist, Lester continues to help the protagonist rob the casino whenever they want, should they choose to do so. Later on, a picture can be seen of Lester and Georgina hanging out at the Del Perro Pier, with Lester having won a stuffed animal from one of the carnival games for her.
The Contract[]
In 2021, during the events of The Contract update, it is revealed that Franklin and Lester are still in touch, and that Lester has recently spoken to Franklin about the GTA Online Protagonist robbing The Diamond Casino & Resort in 2019.
Lester is also briefly mentioned by Franklin during the Payphone Hits introduction, as "the dude who used to run the hits in this town".
Character[]
Lester suffers from a wasting disease which has gradually worn down his motor skills during his life and left him wheelchair-bound, though he is able to walk short distances with the use of a cane. Due to his limited mobility, Lester has grown considerably overweight, and he also suffers from asthma. In The Diamond Casino Heist - Aggressive approach, he tells the player that "driving aggravates his hives". At another point in The Diamond Casino Heist, Lester says that he "feels his eczema clearing".
It is implied that Lester was bullied in high school, as he posted on Bleeter that "getting revenge" on his old high school class "never seemed to get old". Although he owns a car, he is rarely seen driving.
Lester appears to be ambidextrous, as he uses both arms to draw on the planning board when putting together the plan in the arcade.
Appearance[]
In 2013, he is usually seen dressed in a green checkered shirt and blue jeans or brown trousers. He has an unused brown suit with a green checkered undershirt with a small tie and black loafers. The in-game version of Lester's artwork shows him wearing a red shirt instead of the green checkered shirt. This outfit is only seen in the Paleto Score Setup[6] when getting off the bus and in the Paleto Score heist opening cutscene when he meets Michael, Trevor, Franklin, and the chosen gunman at Ace Liquor.
Personality[]
Despite Lester's physical disabilities, he makes up for this with a genius-level intelligence, a masterful expertise in technology and computing and a sharp eye for detail, which is what makes him an excellent planner for the various heists he has pulled off throughout his life. He is also an avid video-gamer and is a particular fan of Righteous Slaughter 7.
Lester is, by his own admission, socially awkward and reveals to the GTA Online Protagonist during the Fleeca Job that he is "not the best conversationalist" and rarely meets people in person. When he meets people online and arranges to meet them in real life, he will show up but not introduce himself to his dates and will instead watch them from afar. Sometimes he likes cracking bad jokes that are met with awkward silence, showing his inability to deal with people outside the business or the online life.
Lester is very well informed on world politics and the machinations and details of corporate activities. Using this knowledge, he has previously been involved in stock fraud and corporate assassination. He also keeps a close eye on the criminal world. He mentions "an Eastern European guy in Liberty City" when thinking of people to help them hit the jewelry store, possibly referring to Niko Bellic. He comments on the McReary family if the player chooses Packie's résumé while planning a heist, indicating that he also knows about them beyond just Patrick himself.
Lester is also shown to brew his own moonshine, as when first entering Lester's home, the player can find alcohol brewing equipment set up with tubes running into jugs. After The Bureau Raid, if the player chose the Covert approach, Lester instructs Franklin to fill up everyone's glasses and mention he has some "real vintage" moonshine.
On Lester's Lifeinvader page, a message from a girl asking about his true age can be seen, implying that he fakes his age in order to talk to younger women, with Trevor referring to him as "Lester the Molester". Lester admits to Franklin that he hacks girls' webcams to watch them and after The Bureau Raid (Fire Crew approach), he says he will "reverse engineer a webcam and spy on those sorority girls again". Lester possibly believes that the Illuminati is watching him as he has an Illuminati poster in his house as well as a folder on his laptop's desktop labeled "Illuminati", and this may possibly explain why the windows of his house are covered up.
Relationships with other Characters[]
- Michael De Santa – Lester first meets Michael at an unknown point in time and seemed to be the mastermind of Michael's robberies many years prior. By his own admission, Michael "hasn't been a good friend" towards Lester and after reuniting, Michael decides to make up for that. He can often be seen sticking up for Lester when he cannot defend himself from much stronger people, such as Trevor. However, this does not stop Michael from bullying Lester if Lester highlights Michael's hypocrisy.
- Trevor Philips – Much like with Michael, Lester met Trevor at an unknown point in time. However, the two have a sort of antagonistic relationship with each other: Trevor regularly belittles Lester over his physical weakness and, whenever he comes up with a heist, will try to cheat him out of a cut; Lester views Trevor as incredibly idiotic and feels that his short-sighted recklessness when planning his own heists will cause uncontrollable consequences to anyone connected to them.
- Franklin Clinton - Lester developed a healthy relationship with Franklin over the course of their dealings with each other. While Lester was initially wary of Franklin, being the "amateur" in Michael's jewelry store heist crew, Franklin proved his worth, so much that Lester personally offers Franklin assassination missions to manipulate the stock market, one mission of which allows Lester to buy a luxurious house in Vinewood Hills for Franklin. Franklin's friendship proves to be crucial for Franklin in his times of need, such as when he rescued Lamar, and later, Michael and Trevor.
- GTA Online Protagonist – Lester is the main contact for the GTA Online Protagonist and usually hires them for heists. Initially Lester's behavior towards the Protagonist was awkward as he did not know how to deal with their silence. Later, Lester's faith in their skills increased to the point that they were his primary contacts during the Doomsday Heists which unlike other heists, the fate of the world was at stake and so required skill and talented individuals. Lester remains in contact with them even outside of major heists as he will help the Protagonist under the name of LJT during MC activities and even offer some of his services if the protagonist calls him in free mode, ranging from getting them a vehicle to helping them lose the cops. Lester also frequently points out the GTA Online Protagonists do not speak, and frequently makes fun of them for it, an example being during the Heists update when he says that he "won't have to cut out their tongue if they blab", as "you never use it".
Influence[]
- Lester may in part be inspired by the character Kelso from the movie Heat. Both Kelso and Lester have physical disabilities, and both men are more involved with planning heists than with actually carrying them out.
- Lester bears some similarities to Bentley from the Sly Cooper videogame series as they are both criminals, computer hackers, geniuses, wheelchair users, and their signature color is green.
- As reported by media outlets, Lester may be based heavily on Karl Rove, Senior Advisor and White House Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007.
Prominent Appearances in Missions[]
Grand Theft Auto V[]
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Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Services (GTA Online)[]
Lester is unlocked as a phone contact at rank 10. When called, he offers a wide range of services, which are generally to assist the Protagonist. Each service costs a specific amount of money and is unlocked once a specific rank has been reached.
Service | GTA Online Description | In-Game Effect | Cost | Requirement |
---|---|---|---|---|
Set Bounty | Choose a player to place a Bounty on or view their current Bounty value. | Once payment is received, a Bounty of whatever the player paid, minus $1000, is placed on the head of the selected player. The player who kills the selected player gets the Bounty money for themself. NPCs who kill a player with a bounty on their head do not receive the money, and the Bounty remains on the player. Same applies for suicides.
If the bountied player survived for one in-game day, or 48 real minutes outside of an apartment, they will get the bounty money. |
$2,000-$10,000 | Rank 10 |
Remove Wanted Level | Completely remove your wanted level. | Completely removes the player's wanted level once payment is received. If multiple players are in the same vehicle at the time of the call, only one player must use this to remove the wanted level for everyone in the vehicle.
Note: Certain freemode missions may prevent the player from losing the cops with this service. |
$200/Star (Free after completing The Doomsday Heist Act 3) |
Rank 21 |
Off the Radar | Remove your blip from the World Map for one minute. | Your location on the radar is hidden from all other players in your session for one minute. If multiple players are in the same vehicle at the time of the call, only one player must use this to hide the location of everyone in the vehicle. | $500 | Rank 40 |
Reveal Players | Reveal hidden players on the world map. | Reveals any players using the "Off The Radar" service. Only works for gamemodes where player map blips are hidden by default, such as Deathmatches. | $500 | Rank 40 |
Request Job | Request an invite to a previously completed Job. | After a few seconds, you will be sent an invite to a random job you have completed for Lester previously. | $0 | Rank 0 |
Replay Heist | Request a Replay of a Heist. | After selecting this option, the player can select one of five heists. | $0 | After completing all heists. |
Cancel Heist | Cancel the currently active Heist. | After selecting this option, the player can cancel the currently active heist in the high-end apartment. Cancelling the heist will not return the setup cost of the heist. | $0 | After completing all heists and if a heist is active at their high-end apartment. |
Cancel The Doomsday Heist | Cancel the currently active act of The Doomsday Heist. | After selecting this option, the player can cancel the currently active act of The Doomsday Heist at their Facility. Cancelling the act will not return the setup cost of the heist. | $0 | After completing all three acts of The Doomsday Heist as leader and if one of the acts of the heist is active at their Facility. |
Cancel The Diamond Casino Heist | Cancel your current progress on The Diamond Casino Heist. | After selecting this option, the player can cancel the currently active Diamond Casino Heist and remove all progress done by the player. Cancelling the heist will not return the setup cost. | $0 | After completing all three approaches of The Diamond Casino Heist as leader and if the heist is active at their Arcade. |
Locate a Boat | Locate a boat and display it on the Map. | Lester will locate the nearest available boat, and the player can take it without it counting as a stolen vehicle. The player must return it within 12 in-game hours or get a wanted level. | $400 | Rank 0 |
Locate a Helicopter | Locate a chopper and display it on the map. | Lester will locate the nearest available helicopter, and the player can take it without it counting as a stolen vehicle. The player must return it within 12 in-game hours or get a wanted level. | $700 | Rank 35 |
Locate a Car | Locate a car and display it on the map. | Lester will locate the nearest available car, and the player can take it without it counting as a stolen vehicle. The player must return it within 12 in-game hours or get a wanted level. | $100 | Rank 15 |
Locate a Plane | Locate a plane and display it on the map. | Lester will locate the nearest available plane, and the player can take it without it counting as a stolen vehicle. The player must return it within 12 in-game hours or get a wanted level. | $1000 | Rank 45 |
Cops Turn Blind Eye | Cops will ignore any crimes you commit for a short period of time. | Once payment is received, the player can commit any crime they want for 3 minutes without receiving a wanted level. If multiple players are in the same vehicle at the time of the call, only one player must use this for the cops to run a blind eye for everyone in the vehicle.
They can still get a wanted level if they share a car with a player who has a wanted level, or if the player attacks a law enforcement officer. |
$5000 | Rank 12 |
Assassination Missions and Stock exchange fraud[]
Main article: Lester's Assassinations
Gallery[]
Artworks[]
General[]
Grand Theft Auto V[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Trivia[]
- According to the Rush Casting Call, Lester's beta name was Jerry Cole.
- Lester's email address is "t34b4g99@eyefind.com" which is Leet/1337 for "Teabag99."
- Lester's mother's birthday is September 28th, according to his calendar.[1]
- Lester's favourite radio station appears to be Space 103.2, as he switches the radio in Michael's car to this station when he is waiting for Michael to return in Cleaning out the Bureau.
- After The Diamond Casino Heist update, Lester's appearance is changed to his 2019 one when playing The Doomsday Heist. This is presumably a glitch.
- Lester tells Michael that he lives in Murrieta Heights. This is incorrect, as he actually lives in El Burro Heights.
- If called after the mission Scouting the Port on his phone number (346-555-0102) while playing as Trevor Philips it is possible to initiate a cut phone call with the Coffield Center for Spinal Research at Mount Zonah.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
- ↑ “You know, I once got turned down for a comp-sci professorship over at ULSA. So... in retribution I hacked their staff server and left a back door so wide a drunken freshman could stumble through it.— Lester Crest in Heist Prep: EMP Device.
- ↑ Game Files: The audio wave container and text key files for LJT are named "bples" and "bplesau", which stand for "Biker Phone Lester" and "Biker Phone Lester Audio" respectively.
- ↑ Quote: LJT almost refers to himself as "Lester" on one occasion.
“~z~Hey, it's Lest... ehm, JT! Ooh, we got trouble at work. Get over there or you'll lose product.— Text key, 0x0CB96514
Audio:
- ↑ Quote: Lester indirectly confirms that he is LJT when the player is browsing the "Upgrades" tab on the computer of the Arcade building.
“You want to run all your business interests spread out around the state from the convenience of one gaming chair, we got an MCT, Master Control Terminal, for that too. Even works for supply and purchase runs on The Open Road, whatever that is... LJT would be proud.— Lester introducing the Upgrades tab of his app.
Audio:
- ↑