Artist Shepard Fairey unveils his portrait of US President-elect Barack Obama before it was installed at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington on January 17, 2009. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York has given two years of probation to an artist who created the “HOPE” poster that came to symbolize Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Shepard Fairey was sentenced Friday in Manhattan. He also will do 300 hours of community service.
The government said in a presentence memorandum that Fairey should get some prison time. He was convicted of criminal contempt for destroying documents and fabricating others in a civil lawsuit he brought against The Associated Press.
Prosecutors say Fairey had “both an ideological and financial motive” to alter evidence in his favor after basing his poster on one of the AP’s photographs.
Defense attorneys said a prison term was not warranted. They say Fairey is contrite and settled his civil case with the AP on unfavorable terms that included sanctions.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
