Geezer who terrorized Jewish-owned businesses with Nazi graffiti given slap on the wrist
A 75‑year‑old local man faced a light penalty after confessing he had vandalized Montauk with Nazi symbols and antisemitic slogans, a report revealed.
Michael Nicholoulias, who was 75 at the time, sprayed swastikas and the harassing phrases “Jews Die” and “Jews Burn” on various property in the beach town from October through December 2023. He was finally apprehended and, on November 14, was sentenced to only five days in Suffolk County jail, according to 27East.
“I am guilty of everything,” Nicholoulias told prosecutors, the local east‑end newspaper reported.
While pleading guilty in August to two felony hate‑crime counts under a plea bargain negotiated by Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, Nicholoulias received a nominal five‑day sentence. However, after serving a single day in jail in December, he was released on probation because of his “good behavior” and the particular rules governing short‑term sentences in Suffolk County. As a result, he never actually spent any time behind bars.
Police tracked the elderly vandal by following a GPS tag on his 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser. On December 4, after his car was flagged, officers found him near Ditch Plains spray‑painting a swastika on a park bench and, upon searching the area, uncovered other hateful markings he had made on nearby signs and property.
In court, Nicholoulias confessed that he specifically targeted Jewish‑owned homes and businesses, citing the owners’ ethnicity as the motive for his actions.
After his sentencing, procedural quirks in the local jail system—combined with the fact that his sentence began on a Friday—effectively erased the five days and left him only on probation. The lawyer representing Nicholoulias, Matthew Hereth, and District Attorney Tierney chose not to respond to requests for comments.
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