The man who was busted painting swastikas on FDNY ambulances should be cut some slack because he’s an “artist,” his lawyers argued during his arraignment on felony hate-crime and vandalism charges Sunday.
Jem Ibrahimov, 42, was caught Saturday morning outside the Engine 93/Ladder 45/Battalion 13 station house on West 181st Street in Fort George — where he allegedly scrawled the hate symbol on a door and wrote “Nazi rapist pigs” and “pedophiles.”
He’s also accused of drawing the symbol on four ambulances outside FDNY EMS Station 13 on West 172nd Street in Washington Heights.
Ibrahimov pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of aggravated harassment, criminal mischief as a hate crime, making graffiti, and possessing graffiti instruments at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal court Sunday — where his attorney argued he should not face stiff bail because he’s an artist with ties to the community.
“He’s an artist,” said lawyer Barbara Ho. “He worked as a painter.”
Ibrahimov graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn with a degree in fine arts in 1998, according to a profile on networking website Harri.
He worked as a photographer for the Bulgarian parliament and also as an art handler here in New York, according to the site, which lists his most recent occupation as “climbing wall installer” for Bulgarian company Walltopia.
The swastika incident is Ibrahimov’s first arrest, according to Ho, who said her client speaks three languages and has worked as an interpreter for the US Army. He was, however, wanted for skipping out on a court date related to a criminal summons, prosecutors noted.
Ibrahimov was remanded and bail was set at $10,000 cash or $50,000 bond.