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NO GRAFFING MATTER

By Doug Black

For years, NYC has imposed light sentences for graffiti crimes, but a landmark case might give teeth to the penalty. While previous restrictions only allowed the city to punish vandals who were caught in the act, the prosecution against legendary street artist Alain Maridueña (better known as Alan Ket) is using computer evidence to blame him for numerous works he wasn’t found creating. After officials confiscated Maridueña’s personal computer, they found pictures of subway graffiti—many featuring his trademark ‘Ket’ tag—that they claim were uploaded immediately after the crime took place. Maridueña maintains that he quit graffiti in ’94, but with 14 criminal counts and a hard drive of circumstantial evidence on the table, he’ll need to paint a more convincing picture.


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