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Graffiti Artist And Famous Smoocher CASH4 Takes Plea Deal With Community Service
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 14, 2013
Modified Oct 12, 2017
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 14, 2013
Modified Oct 12, 2017
Share
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The arrest of a graffiti artist is not necessarily a newsworthy event, but last summer, the arrest of Russell Murphy—aka CASH4—drew attention because Ron Howard was sort of involved.
Photographer Mo Gelber had taken a photograph of Murphy and his girlfriend Alexis Creque kissing as they were being escorted (while handcuffed) outside Manhattan Criminal Court. Gelber had entered the photographer into Ron Howard’s Project Imaginat10n contest, but he needed releases for the subjects in the picture. Creque declined, because she didn't want to sign anything until Murphy got out—and Gelber missed the deadline for the contest.
Today Murphy pleaded guilty to "a count each of criminal mischief and possession of a graffiti instrument" for tagging the side of the Lower East Side building where Milk and Honey is located. In exchange, he will have to serve eight days of community service.
If Murphy, who seemed to hang out with taggers SMELLS, OVERUNDER, and SWAMPY, stays clean for a year, he'll just have a violation to his name. The Daily News reports that his lawyer slammed the photograph, "Ultimately my client should be left with no criminal record and be able to continue on with his life. [It's] unfortunate that he will be forever shackled in the media."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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