The gangster uncle of Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori has been ordered to pay police legal fees amid allegations he deliberately prolonged her legal claim.
Eris Censori, who was once sentenced to death in Western Australia for murdering a waiter, was Nicknamed the ‘Al Capone of Melbourne‘before his life of crime fell apart.
In May, the Daily Mail Australia revealed that the notorious criminal was at risk of being sent back to prison for life after being caught in a police raid while living with an alleged paedophile.
Although he was cleared of any wrongdoing, the raid landed Censori before the Adult Parole Board, where he faced being returned to prison to serve his life sentence.
In a statement of claim filed against the State of Victoria in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Censori alleged that the search that brought him before the parole board was obtained “through misconduct and in the absence of facts”.
The court heard on Wednesday that the matter risked being dropped if Censori continued to delay proceedings, which began in August last year.
Censori had been arrested by Victoria Police detectives in September 2020 on suspicion of fraud.
But the discovery of A mobile phone belonging to his housemate, allegedly containing child pornography, threatened to send him back behind bars for good.
Eris Censori (right) and her brother Leo, who is the father of Kanye West’s wife, Bianca
Kanye West and Bianca Censori. Bianca is the daughter of a Melbourne mafia boss.
Censori – who changed his name to Tony Campana – said his arrest “defamed” his good character and “caused him to suffer public ridicule, shame and contempt”.
The court heard that Censori had originally represented himself in court but quickly decided to seek a legal team.
Although he is now represented by a lawyer, the court heard that Censori had failed to comply with orders issued on July 17 for him to amend his statement of claim.
“That has not happened,” Censori’s lawyer, Tim Sowden, told the court.
No reasons were given for the delay, and Mr Sowden suggested his client would comply with the orders within the next two weeks.
Daniel Wallis, acting on behalf of Victoria Police and the state government, said he was concerned that Censori would continue to cause delays, prompting an application to have the matter dismissed out of court.
‘The orders were initially made by His Lordship in December last year,’ he said.
The court heard that Censori had until December 22 to comply with those orders, but he failed to do so.
“Subsequently, following further emails, His Honour issued further orders in July last year and… again they were not complied with,” Wallis said.
‘There have been two series of orders which have not been complied with at all… a lot of time has been lost and wasted in this case and the defendant finds himself in a position where an application to dismiss had already been anticipated.’
Leo Censori’s ex-wife exposed his life of crime in Melbourne’s Herald Sun in 1991.
Bianca Censori is the daughter of a former criminal and the niece of a ruthless killer.
That request is likely to be filed if Censori does not comply with the orders by Wednesday, Wallis said.
“That’s really why we’re here and why we’re concerned,” he said.
Court Recorder Baker attacked Censori’s attorney, stating that his client did not have a great record of complying with court orders.
He warned Censori that if he did not comply this time he faced having the matter dismissed out of court.
“One way or another, we’ll know what’s going on before then,” Baker said.
Mr. Wallis’ request that Censori pay his legal fees for Wednesday’s hearing was not opposed by his lawyer.
“What we are saying is that we simply should not be here today,” Mr Wallis argued.
Mr Sowden agreed.
“I’ve given up, so I’m not going to hit the bar table (over it),” Sowden said.
The matter is expected to return to court next month, where it will either go to trial or be dismissed.
Kanye West and Bianca Censori. Bianca’s uncle was sentenced to death before the sentence was overturned.
Censori escaped the death penalty for murdering bartender Michael Sideris in the 1980s because capital punishment was abolished in Western Australia in 1984, before he could be executed.
He is the brother of Bianca’s father, Elia ‘Leo’ Censori, who also served a long prison sentence after being convicted in 1982 of possession of a prohibited imported drug. after a raid by the Australian Federal Police She found heroin in her kitchen..
The Daily Mail Australia revealed last year that Leo also has convictions for possession of a gun and ammunition and served two years of his five-year sentence on drug charges.
His older brother Edmondo, known as ‘Eddie Capone’, also has convictions in Victoria for violence, including assaulting police, robbery and threats.
In documents provided to the court, Bianca’s uncle claimed police used his sale of a property in Brunswick to obtain the search warrant under the pretext of investigating alleged fraud against the Bank of Queensland.
At the time of his arrest, Censori was sharing a room in Bulleen, northeast of Melbourne, with two other men.
“(Censori) was in his bedroom, which had a window overlooking the front yard, when he noticed the door was open and a group of six large men, all armed with handguns, entered,” the documents state.
“He immediately suspected that those accompanying him were members of the Victoria Police. The thought filled him with apprehension.”
Police alleged that the Brunswick property he sold had been purchased from him with fraudulently obtained funds.
“I think they made a mistake. I am the seller. I have not collected any money from any bank,” Censori told detectives.
Escorted to his bedroom, Censori said the officers asked him to hand over documents related to the sale before requesting access to his phone and computer.
‘Towards the end of the search, (Censori) was shown a cell phone recovered from another occupant’s bedroom and asked questions about the occupant of said bedroom and the contents of the cell phone,’ the documents state.
Bianca’s father, Leo Censori, was a gambling kingpin who served a long sentence for a heroin bust.
Censori said the lead detective told him he was aware of his criminal conviction for murder, that he had served a lengthy prison sentence and was still appearing before the parole board 25 years after his release.
“Any criminal charge, even an allegation of involvement in a crime, could result in a probation violation, which would result in me being returned to prison and ultimately deported,” he told the detective.
After the search, Censori said he was handcuffed and paraded in front of his neighbors before being taken to the police station for interview.
After being fingerprinted and questioned by police, Censori was released without charge.
Censori said the parole board met him in January 2021, where they questioned him about his relationship with the alleged pedophile.
Censori said he told the board he had noor relationship with his housemate, known as ‘Mohamed’, and knew nothing about the contents of his phone.
In taking the matter to court, Censori claimed the lead detective “showed a contumelious disregard for (his) right to privacy and liberty, maliciously inflicting harm.”
In a long list of complaints, Censori alleged that police searched rooms and took possession of items that were not within the scope authorized by his court order and “deliberately encouraged a perception in the eyes of the Parole Board that (he) was implicated in another person’s crime.”
He also accused the police of assault, false arrest and imprisonment, and malicious criminal prosecution.
In a statement responding to the complaint, Victoria Police defended the way they proceeded to arrest Censori.
Kanye West, left, and Bianca Censori arrive during last year’s NFL Super Bowl
“(Censori) was arrested for conspiracy to defraud the Bank of Queensland and (he) received a formal warning, after which (he) stated that he understood,” the defence said.
Police denied assaulting Censori, unlawfully arresting him or maliciously prosecuting him.
He also dismissed suggestions that Censori’s arrest had “smeared” his good character.
“He denies having defamed the plaintiff and further says the statement of claim fails to disclose a cause of action for defamation,” government attorneys said.
‘He denies that any matter published or caused to be published by the defendant has caused or is likely to cause serious damage to the plaintiff’s reputation.’