April 26, 2013
- Steven Topazio wrote this May 4, 2014 at 6:03 pm
The client, an 18 year high school student and band member, was arrested after spray painting the name of his band on the walls of a hotel bathroom, hired Boston Criminal Defense Attorney Steven J. Topazio to defend him. The client was initially charged with defacing property which only carries a penalty of up to a $100.00 fine plus cost of removal. The district attorney’s office was moving to take out new charges against his client which allege tagging of property. According to statute, whoever sprays or applies paint or places a sticker upon a building, wall, fence, sign, tablet, gravestone, monument or other object or thing on a public way or adjoined to it, or in public view, or on private property, that person is described as a “tagger” and such conduct or activity is known as “tagging” shall be punished by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than two years or by a fine of not less than fifteen hundred dollars or not more than three times the value of such damage to the property so defaced, marked, marred, damaged or destroyed. Today Attorney Topazio convinced the District Attorney not to file new charges against his client but rather persuaded the district attorney to place his client on a term of pretrial probation for one year with 25 hours of community service plus restitution, and the court agreed.