'El Barto' graffiti vandal sentenced

San Francisco Chronicle Staff Report

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

A Santa Rosa graffiti vandal was sentenced Monday to 1,000 hours of community service and three years of felony probation after he pleaded no contest earlier this year to two counts of felony vandalism, prosecutors said.

Saif Axxxx, 19, who tagged under the name "Bart" or "El Barto," will also pay restitution to his victims, said Sonoma County Assistant District Attorney Diana Gomez. Prosecutors dropped seven felony counts in exchange for Axxxx's plea.

Police said Axxxx, who was arrested in October, was a prolific vandal, tagging several hundred spots in the North Bay.

He will perform graffiti abatement as his service to the community, Gomez said.