ASTORIA — The suspect who tagged several buildings around the neighborhood with anti-gay slurs referencing President Barack Obama pleaded guilty Tuesday and is expected to be sentenced to 90 days in jail for the vandalism next month, authorities said.
Yaacov Shemesh, 53, pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief for the six-month graffiti spree, in which he used spray paint or markers to write phrases that included "Obama fa---t" and "Obama d-ke" on various buildings within walking distance of his Astoria home between December 2016 and May 2017, according to the Queens District Attorney's office.
He hit the same locations several times, including a building on Newtown Avenue and 32nd Street that houses the offices of two local lawmakers. The graffiti occasionally contained homophobic slurs with the names of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Hillary Clinton, the Queens DA's office said.
Shemesh was arrested in June. He's set to be sentenced on Nov. 1 by Acting Supreme Court Justice Gia Morris, who is expected give him 90 days in jail, five years probation and sensitivity training, according to the DA's office.
"For months, he plastered messages of hate and intolerance on various structures throughout Astoria," DA Richard Brown said in a statement. "The defendant vandalized other people’s property that ultimately required costly fixes."
Information for Shemesh's defense attorney was not immediately available Tuesday.
