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Photo via AnimalNY/Anthony Macaluso.
While climbers #2 and 3, Renaldo Clarke and David Malone, were indicted for scaling the New York Times building earlier this year and currently face up to a year in prison, climber #1, Alain Robert, has received a slap on the wrist. With a grand jury rejecting criminal charges this summer, he pleaded guilty yesterday to disorderly conduct (which has no criminal record attached), and was fined $250 and three days community service.
The NY Times reports that assistant DA Heather Person asked that he not be able to serve his hours at an environmental organization because that's what he was promoting with his climb, so he'll be doing his time at the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, a city-based non-profit that provides education about H.I.V. and AIDS. Robert was hoping for no community service, or to serve in France (where he lives), but alas, his "act cost New York taxpayers money." His lawyer attempted to get client off the hook by saying it was "in the best interest of the people of New York, 'that Mr. Robert spend as little time as possible in New York.'"
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Hee, they should make him clean windows.
...or clean up graffiti in those hard to reach, high up places.
Let this be a warning to members of the proletariat foolish enough to try to emulate stunts undertaken by their social betters.
Let the man climb. He's too good. Even a harsher sentence wouldn't stop the man anyway.
Not for nothin', but Robert has been doing this for decades. This is akin to forgiving Philippe Petit for walkign a tightrope between the WTC towers. Make him pay a fine, and move on. Focus on proper criminals.
Give him a big spanking.
The French like that.
quidnam, you made a silly statement
The human race has grown with danger since the beginning of time. Only the past 100 years or so have we became "scared" This man is trying to recapture human adventure. Advertisement has us chasing cars and clothes and jobs we hate to by stuff we dont need.Society and the corporate world is destroying our earth slowly but surely. There is not much left to conquer or explore. So let the man climb.......