By Henri E. Cauvin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Borf, the notorious graffiti vandal who has left his mark all over the District, might want to try a new tag:
GUILTY!
Looking little like the rebel he fashions himself as, John Tsombikos, aka Borf, stood in D.C. Superior Court yesterday in a blue blazer and khakis and admitted to defacing a Howard University building over the summer with his ubiquitous moniker.
The preppy attire of the former art student was quite a turnabout for the 18-year-old from Great Falls, who showed up in court three weeks ago in paint-stained clothes that led authorities to suspect he was back in the spray-painting business.
Not only did he 'fess up in court, but Tsombikos also agreed to give up the vandalism that made him a hero to other "taggers," a villain to property owners and a constant source of frustration for the city's graffiti cleanup crews. And, as part of a penalty that could include a prison term, he agreed to help clean up the mess he created.
From a sign above the Roosevelt Bridge to the building above a Connecticut Avenue Cosi, Borf struck with greater frequency and more splash than anyone since the prolific Cool Disco Dan in the 1980s, authorities said.
"He was very good at what he did," said Dennis Butler, the D.C. public works official in charge of abating such nuisances, "but it was unwanted art."
And there was lots of it.
"In the last few years, there's been no one like Borf," Butler said.
In all, the teenager vandalized perhaps 100 locations, Butler said, and his handiwork -- or that of the copycats he inspired -- still dots the city. Some graffiti is quite detailed. Other work, such as the name "Borf" in white spray paint on a dumpster in front of rowhouses in the 1500 block of R Street NW, shows less flair. No matter how it looks, the work has cost tens of thousands of dollars to clean up.
If District officials have their way, there won't be anyone like Borf for a while.
With his attorney at his side, Tsombikos pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of felony destruction of property, a charge that carries a maximum prison term of 10 years and a fine of as much as $5,000. As is customary at plea hearings, Tsombikos answered routine questions but otherwise did not address the behavior that landed him in court. He will be given an opportunity to do so at his sentencing Feb. 9.
Whether he ends up behind bars will be up to the judge, Lynn Leibovitz. The court's voluntary guidelines recommend a sentence of 6 to 24 months.
But the plea deal includes the cleanup and other penalties.
Under terms of the agreement with prosecutors, Tsombikos will have to pay $12,000 in restitution. He'll have to surrender just about anything he used to make graffiti, including stencils, spray paint and his computer.
And he'll have to do something that might be harder for him than jail time: remove graffiti. For 80 of the 200 hours of community service that he owes, Tsombikos must help rid the District of the sort of eyesores left by graffiti artists like him.
"All the ones of Borf I have left, I will give to him," Butler said. "Let him see the headaches we went through to keep the city clean with his miscellaneous antics."
It won't be the only obligation bringing him to the District.
Tsombikos is scheduled to start classes next month at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, attorney Michael Madden told the judge.
So when the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessio Evangelista, asked the judge to order Tsombikos to stay out of the District until the sentencing, Madden was concerned.
"This is an open city," Madden said, noting the District's status as the nation's capital. And on a practical level, Tsombikos lives in its suburbs and has friends in the District, Madden said.
But Leibovitz was unimpressed, pointing out that the teenager had just pleaded guilty to a felony.
Between now and his sentencing, she said, Tsombikos is allowed to come to the District for classes and court but for nothing else.
And she kept in place an order banning him from carrying art supplies of any sort -- an order that Madden said would be an undue hardship given Tsombikos's studies.
Once again, the judge didn't give any ground.
"Go to school," she told Tsombikos, "but you can't carry supplies to and from."
In interviews this year with The Washington Post, Tsombikos declined to say what led him to take on the Borf name but talked freely about his political metamorphosis into an anarchist.
Even some of the people who have devoted countless hours to eradicating his work from the streets acknowledge that Tsombikos has talent. They wonder what he will make of it.
"It's a sad commentary on our society that he will probably take his fame as a vandal and transform it into fame as an artist," said Phil Carney of Dupont Circle, who has scoured graffiti from his neighborhood for years and who came to court to learn the case's outcome.
"But there's no question he has talent and determination. Properly challenged, he could accomplish just about anything. Just let's hope it's less destructive."
After signing a routine promise to return to court and conferring with his attorney, Tsombikos emerged from the courtroom but did not answer questions.
Staff writer Yolanda Woodlee contributed to this report.
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