Alleged College Grad Graffiti Tagger in YouTube Videos Could Get 14 Years
An unusually prolific alleged graffiti tagger, who is a college graduate and works in a white-collar job, faces up to 14 years in prison if he is convicted in a California court of 32 counts of felony vandalism. However, he could be sentenced to much less time; another prolific tagger got one year after pleading guilty to 49 such charges.
Cyrus Yazdani, 24, who is a professional graphic artist, apparently caught the attention of authorities after he was allegedly seen brazenly posting his “Buket” tag in broad daylight in highly public locations in videos posted on YouTube, according to the Los Angeles Times.
” ‘Buket’ became an Internet sensation because of a video, posted on YouTube and numerous tagger-related blogs, that shows him applying his tag to a Hollywood Freeway overpass as traffic speeds by below,” the newspaper writes. “Another daylight attack, also posted on the Net, appears to show ‘Buket’ applying his moniker to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus amid surprised onlookers.”
Arrested Tuesday by Los Angeles County sheriff’s officers, Yazdani said he no longer tags, the Times reported in an earlier article. However, authorities don’t believe him.
Deputy Devin Vanderlaan, who has been investigating Yazdani for months, says authorities found cans of spray paint and computer images of Yazdani allegedly at work as a tagger when they searched his downtown Los Angeles loft.
