So you want to get in

Numerous times I have seen posts on here about people posing as photographers for a media outlet to get in to an event/game.
Well, read this sneaking in

Granted the kid did go to the extreme to get past the credential people but heed the warning and possible consequences of doing so.

The kid will get probation.

Excellent point, though, as to what could happen...

Oh well....

Very interesting story Jeff. It certainly shows the potential consequences of 'blagging' your way in to an event...

---- Gavin

Let's hear a verse of "Another One Bites the Dust"?

Not much sympathy for him, but if "impersonating a journalist" is a crime, there are a lot of reporters who are at risk these days!

RossW wrote:
Not much sympathy for him, but if "impersonating a journalist" is a crime, there are a lot of reporters who are at risk these days!

And if "impersonating a singer" were a crime we would have a lot less singer wantabees butchering the national anthem.

The really sad thing is that with the less effort he went through for his little scam he probably could have gotten a job at a local paper--as a stringer if nothing else--and would have been able to present himself as a real journalist. Sounds like he is ambitious and smart. With real press credentials and a bit of shmoozing he could meet his favorite players, make some money doing it AND avoid going to jail!

I'm not going to defend the guy as he did a pretty stupid thing but a possible 7 year stretch sounds a bit harsh, all he did was try to get access to his favourite team. It's not like he attacked, injured, put anyone's life in danger or did anything malicious. Banning him fron the ground would probably be punishment enough

the reason he is facing seven years is because the DA stacked the charges on him, as long as he doesn't have a record and has a decent lawyer he'll get probation or a suspended sentence.

My uncle simply turned up the the Canadian open with a mamiya (yes....it even had a prism) and he got in as an italian photographer. He's canadian!

however, I think he had a friend in the business who got him in

Was he impersonating an italian photogrpaher?

That particular charge is bogus. Read here:

Court Protects Bloggers Sunday May 28th 2006, 9:23 am
Filed under: Federal
In a finding on the case reported in this previous PhotoPermit post (and widely elsewhere), the 6th District Court of Appeal in San Jose found unanimously that bloggers are due the same protections of publishing and protection of their sources as are journalists working in any other medium. In fact they found the method of transmittal not germane to the question, as Justice Conrad Rushing wrote: “We decline the implicit invitation to embroil ourselves in questions of what constitutes ‘legitimate journalism. The shield law is intended to protect the gathering and dissemination of news, and that is what petitioners did here.”
This ruling further bolsters the assertion that photographers and photo-bloggers are entitled to the same rights of view and ability to collect imagery as their “legitimate journalist” counterparts in the print and TV media.

Quote from:
http://www.photopermit​.org/?p=150http://www.photopermit​.org/index.php?paged=5

Also read:
http://www.photopermit​.org/?p=71

I do agree on tresspassing, falsifying documents and the other charges.

I'm curious to see how it develops

The only impersonation I know of that counts as felony for sure is impersonation of a law enforcement officer.

that is totally insane!