Bunnings trip costs $1000 fine for bikie in Balcatta after revealing Rebels gang tattoo under mullet
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Why did a trip to Bunnings cost this mullet-wearing bikie $1,000 after breaking tough new gang laws?
- Bikie caught in Balcatta Bunnings with exposed tattoo
- Rebels’ Joseph Raimondi’s bikie will pay over $1,000
- The tattoo breaks WA’s new anti-bikie laws
A quick ride to a Bunnings Warehouse has cost a member of the Rebels motorcycle gang more than $1,000 under new anti-biki laws.
The one-time close friend of slain Rebels boss Nick Martin, Joseph Raimondi, was ordered to pay a hefty fine on Wednesday for displaying his ‘Rebels’ tattoo while at the hardware chain’s Balcatta store in north California. Perth in July 2022.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of defying Western Australia’s anti-cycling laws in Perth Magistrate Court after two other charges were dropped by prosecutors.
He was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay an additional $260 in court fees.
Rebels Bikie Joseph Raimondi (pictured) was caught with his ‘Rebels’ tattoo uncovered while at a Bunnings in Balcatta and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $250 in court fees
Western Australia’s harsh anti-bikie laws introduced in December 2021 make it illegal to display any gang sign or insignia in public, including patches, jewelry and tattoos.
“Gang members identify themselves as such by wearing and displaying symbols and badges to intimidate and create fear within the community,” state crime commander Gordon Fairman told Daily Mail Australia.
The 34-year-old’s attorney, Michael Tudori, said Raimondi had just bumped into Bunnings without thinking and it wasn’t as if he had “ripped off his shirt” to flaunt his tattoos to clients.
In CCTV footage obtained by WA Police, a heavily tattooed Raimondi is shown holding a tub and spatula with his tattoo clearly visible on the left side of his head.
Mr Tudori claims that Raimondi has since grown his hair and applies “a little bit of makeup” to cover the tattoo.
During sentencing, Justice Felicity Zempilas had accepted that Raimondi’s actions were not malicious.
However, he supported the legislation, saying it was introduced to prevent gang members from displaying the badge in public places, as it was intimidating to some members of the public and should be punished.
“Since the introduction of the legislation, the WA Police Force have brought over 60 charges relating to the display of gang insignia jewellery, clothing and tattoos,” said Mr. Fairman.
Raimondi will appear in Perth Magistrates Court two more times for allegedly failing to cover his head tattoo in separate incidents to the one at a Bunnings warehouse.
As of January 24, 35 of these charges have resulted in convictions, while the other matters are advancing in court.
The father-of-two will appear in Perth Magistrate Court two more times over the next week in connection with two more charges relating to the alleged display of the prominent tattoo.
One of the charges concerns a photograph that ran on the front page of The West Australian, with his tattoo displayed, as he comforted mourners at the scene of the shooting of a bikie enforcer in Gnangara in September.
The other charge is allegedly for failing to cover his tattoo while at the Crown Casino in Burswood in June of last year.
Raimondi also faces other charges, including theft of a motor vehicle and possession of prescription drugs, drug paraphernalia and ammunition.