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YouTube Graffiti Tagger Could Get 20 Years

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Cyrus Yazdani, 24, who is known on the streets as Buket, was arrested after videos of him allegedly tagging around Los Angeles were posted on YouTube. Los Angeles County Sheriff's had been looking for him for awhile and finally caught up with the by-day Las Vegas convention planner/by-night alleged prolific street tagger with a criminal record (see videos here of him on a freeway bridge and tagging a bus in downtown during the middle of a busy day).

Today he was charged with 32 counts of felony vandalism and is being held on $100,000 bail (prosecutors want that nudged up to $234,000). If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

Image from YouTube video, which can be seen here

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