Just days after 28-year-old Henry Matyjewicz (aka Poster Boy) was practically handed a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card by Justice Michael Gary, word is that he was back in court soon after, with a lot less luck by his side. Animal is reporting that the subway ad-slash artist was "sentenced to 11 months in jail by a Brooklyn judge... taken into custody immediately and sent to Rikers Island."
Soon after their original post, Animal updated with a comment from his lawyer, Kerry Gotlib, explaining Matyjewicz missed his May 6th court date but showed up the following day to apologize. He's been at Rikers since, and Gotlib says, “It was unwarranted,” and a “shocking decision.” Stay tuned for the appeal!
UPDATE:Vandalog is reporting that Poster Boy simply got the date wrong and didn't mean to miss his appearance on the 6th. They also have an email he sent out at the end of April, saying, in part:
“Henry is a working artist and activist based in Brooklyn. His most recent participation with the Poster Boy street art movement resulted in legal trouble. Initially, Henry was hit with misdemeanor charges and community service as a result of these activities. However, the district attorney has since tried to pursue Felony Class charges based partially on the false testimony of a transit officer. It is important to note that this is Mr. Matyjewicz’s first offense. Despite these facts, the District Attorney is unwilling to view this case reasonably. At one point during these proceedings the DA asked for bail to be set at an unprecedented $20,000. This extremely high amount is more in line with bail requests for violent felons accused of dealing drugs or for cases involving weapons. Perhaps more telling, the DA is attempting to send Mr. Matyjewicz to prison for a year."
