WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2005

D.A. BROWN: GRAFFITI VANDAL “KIKO” CHARGED WITH DEFACING QUEENS PROPERTIES

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced the arrest of one of New York City’s more notorious graffiti taggers – “Kiko” – for vandalizing public and private property in the Astoria and Long Island City sections of Queens County.

District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant is accused of having used spray paint to deface public and private properties in the Astoria and Long Island City sections of Queens County in destructive acts of vandalism and now must face the consequences of his irresponsible and self-indulgent conduct. Graffiti is a symptom of crime and negatively affects the quality of life of all citizens through decreased property values, increased taxes and a financial burden on affected businesses and homes. City officials and anti-graffiti activists have done a remarkable job over the years in cleaning up New York City’s image as a graffiti-scarred city. We cannot allow one individual to mar the beauty of our City and threaten to return us to the days when our transit system and our highways and buildings were covered with graffiti.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Oliver Siandre, 27, of 100 West 92 Street in Manhattan, who is being charged with Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree and Making Graffiti and is being held pending arraignment later today in Queens Criminal Court. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.

The District Attorney said that, according to the charges, the defendant spray painted his tag name “Kiko” on various public and private properties in Queens – including the Powhatan Regular Democratic Club, located at 41-05 Newton Road in Long Island City on August 28, 2005, and on a pillar inside Athens Square Park, located at 30th Avenue and 30th Street in Astoria., on September 14, 2005.

District Attorney Brown said that the defendant was arrested yesterday at his residence on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The investigation, which is ongoing, was conducted by the New York City Police Department’s 114th Precinct’s Patrol and Detective Squads, which are under the overall supervision of Deputy Inspector Brian McCarthy, commanding officer of the 114th Precinct.

Assistant District Attorney William Branigan of the District Attorney’s Gang Violence and Hate Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Mariela Palomino Herring, Bureau Chief, and Robert J. Hanophy, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney for Trials James Clark Quinn and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney .for Trials John H. Larsen.

It should be noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.