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Long Island man gets out of jail time on technicality

The 75-year-old, who admitted to spray-painting antisemitic graffiti, was sentenced to five days but served none.

Shops on Main Street of Montauk, N.Y.
Shops on the main street in Montauk, N.Y. Credit: Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons.

A man from Montauk on Long Island, N.Y., who admitted to spray-painting swastikas and antisemitic messages such as “Jews die” and “Jews burn” across the village from Oct. to Dec. 2023, was sentenced on Nov. 14 to five days in jail. The New York Post, however, is reporting that he served no time at all.

Michael Nicholoulias, 75, pleaded guilty to two felony hate crimes.

On the day he was arrested and held in custody, he apparently received “good behavior” credit. And because the sentencing occurred on a Friday, a county jail-time rule effectively erased the remaining days.

Nicholoulias, caught by police while spray-painting a swastika on a bench, told the court he intentionally targeted Jewish-owned properties.

“It’s a great victory for the First Amendment right to free speech, including the right to draw attention to bigotry and hateful speech,” Paul Eckles, of the Brandeis Center, told JNS. “We commend our client for having the courage to speak out.”
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