Lester Crest

Lester Crest is a fictional character of the Grand Theft Auto series who appeared as the central deuteragonist in Grand Theft Auto V and a major character in Grand Theft Auto Online.

History
Lester Crest was, in 2004, an associate of Michael Townley, Trevor Philips and Bradley Snider, helping them with some of their heists in North Yankton as a black-hat computer hacker. He also knew Michael's wife Amanda and, presumably, used to masturbate while spying on her, as she asks Trevor when playing tennis if Lester is jacking off in the woods like in the "old times". However, when a heist is interupted by the FIB, the group is disbanded. Lester later moves to a bungalow in El Burro Heights, Los Santos and once again becomes involved in the city's criminal underworld, becoming knowledeable about those involved in heists. Lester also begins spying on his friends and reading their emails, and using the services of prostitute Kanya Suttikul after a wasting disease begins to limit his movements. Despite the wasting disease, by 2013 he is still capable of walking unaided, although with great difficulty, usually using a wheelchair or cane. He also begins to hack into the web cams of girls and women across the country and also lies about his age to interact with young girls, including Maurie Lelland who asks if he really is sixteen years old.

By 2013 he begins running the Darnell Bros. garment factory and employs Guadaloupe Romero. It can be presumed that either the conditions or pay is not brilliant, as two union representatives come looking for Lester while production in the factory is postponed in late 2013 'again' due to labour disputes. The police had also began looking into his actions and he employs an unnamed person to destroy several emergency services vehicles and later, on many occasions, hires the person to help himself and his criminal associates. Later in the year he once locates Michael De Santa, and the two begin to work together after Michael bugs a new phone created by Lifeinvader, which later kills Lifeinvader founder and CEO Jay Norris at a nationally televised press conference. Lester helps Michael plan a heist at Vangelico's Fine Jewelry in order to obtain the money to repay Martin Madrazo.

While planning to rob Vangelico's, he meets Franklin Clinton and hires him to perform several assassinations of corrupt people across the city in an attempt to make a profit and to introduce a greater deal of fairness. Those killed by Franklin include Betta Pharmaceuticals CEO Bret Lowrey, four corrupt jurors in a trial involving Redwood Cigarettes, Facade's Head of Development Jackson Skinner, venture capitalist Isaac Penny and criminal turned real estate developer Enzo Bonelli. Lester also invests heavily on the stock exchange during this period and, using the money gained, buys Franklin a new house in Vinewood Hills and arranges for his belongings to be moved. During this time he also becomes aware that old associate Trevor Philips had located Michael and refuses to become involved in Trevor's plan to steal cargo from a ship guarded by Merryweather Security Consulting mercenaries.

Michael, Trevor and Franklin then begin working for corrupt FIB agents Steve Haines, Dave Norton and Andreas Sanchez, who plan to use the three to perform a terrorist attack on the FIB building to acquire more money from the federal government. The trio, however, are forced to acquire the money themselves and Lester helps to plan the heist at the Blaine County Savings Bank, allowing the three to perform the terrorist attack after futher planning from Lester. Lester, during this time, also helps Franklin locate Michael after he was kidnapped by the Wei Cheng Triad in Ludendorff, North Yankton. Franklin again uses help from Lester when rescuing Lamar Davis after he was kidnapped by the Ballas, with Lester phoning Michael and Trevor to help Franklin. Lester is also central to their plans and the execution of the Union Depository heist, resulting in each participant gaining a large amount of money. Lester, with his share of the money, retires from the garment industry and plans to upgrade his bungalow.

Lester's role in the ending to GTA V depends on the players choice. If the player decides to kill Trevor, Lester splits sends a text message to both Michael and Franklin explaining that he cannot find Trevor and splits his share between them, advising them to keep it for him. If the player decides to kill Michael, Lester sends a text message to both Franklin and Trevor stating he hopes neither were involved in Michael's death and that he is sending Michael's share from the Union Depository heist to his family. If the player decides to spare both Trevor and Michael, Lester helps Franklin plan to lose the FIB and Merryweather mercenaries, and then locate their enemies Steve Haines, Stretch, Wei Cheng and Devin Weston.

Trivia

 * Lester warns Michael that working with Franklin could lead to his death, ironically in Ending B, Franklin kills Michael.
 * In GTA Online the player can contact Lester to aid them in various ways. A bounty can be placed on another player, the wanted level can be removed for $200 per star, removing the players blip from the radar for one minute, to locate hidden players and to locate a car, helicopter or plane.
 * The character Kelso (played by Tom Noonan) from the 1995 film Heat may be the inspiration for Lester. Both are physically disabled and are involved in the planning of heists rather than in their execution.


 * It's unknown how Lester got crippled,
 * Lester is voiced by Jay Klaitz.
 * 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.
 * The in-game version of Lester's artwork shows him wearing a red shirt instead of the green check shirt. This outfit is only seen in the Paleto Score when he meets Michael, Trevor, Franklin and the chosen gunman at Ace Liquor.
 * 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 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.