Long Beach Tagger Sentenced to 6 Months

A graffiti vandal has been sentenced to six months in jail for tagging a downtown building, it was announced Friday.

City of Long Beach prosecutor Doug Haubert said that Francisco Barreras, 20, received the sentence in Superior Court for spray-painting the name of a gang on the wall of a privately-owned structure near 20^th Street and Long Beach Boulevard last year. Although the crime was a misdemeanor, Barreras received a stiffer sentence because prosecutors were able to add a gang-related “enhancement” to the charge.

“A strong message needs to be sent to gang members,” Haubert said in his statement. “Aggressively prosecuting graffiti vandals who tag our streets is one way to send that message.”   

Barreras also was ordered to register with the Long Beach Police Department as a known gang member, as required by the City Prosecutor’s Office for gang-related crimes.  A restitution hearing is set for April 28 on Barreras' liability to his victims for graffiti removal costs.