Shepard Fairey Obama 'HOPE' poster artist pleads guilty in NYC (DETAILS)
Uh Oh! Obama “Hope” Artist Shepard Fairey Pleads Guilty! (DETAILS)
Shepard Fairey, 42, the man who created the epic Barack Obama “HOPE” poster, entered a plea of guilty Friday in federal court to criminal contempt. Fairey said he made a “terrible decision” in 2009 to destroy some documents and fabricate others in a civil lawsuit pertaining to The Associated Press photograph he relied upon to make the poster.
Fairey’s guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge carries a maximum potential penalty of up to six months in prison. Sentencing was set for July 16.
Fairey told the court:
“Violating the court’s trust was the worst thing I have ever done in my life. I was ashamed as I did all these things, and I remain ashamed.”
The case originated after the artist acknowledged he had fabricated information in a lawsuit he brought against the AP in February 2009. The lawsuit sought a court declaration that he did not violate AP’s copyrights when he made the Obama image.
The AP countersued, saying the un-credited, uncompensated use of its picture both violated copyright laws and was a threat to journalism.
That case was settled last year.