A 24-year-old Russian man who was arrested by U.S. authorities for climbing New York's Brooklyn Bridge will likely only be sentenced to community service, his lawyer said Wednesday.
"The hearing went well," lawyer Rovshan Sharifov was cited by the TASS news agency as saying, although prosecutors are continuing to demand 90 days of prison time for his client Yaroslav Kolchin.
Sharifov, however, believes the judge is leaning toward issuing a lighter sentence.
"The judge said she wanted Yaroslav [Kolchin] to continue doing his community service and that he should complete a specific amount [of community service work] by Oct. 9, when the next hearing is scheduled," Sharifov was quoted as saying.
"I think she [the judge] will sentence him only to community service, although that hasn't happened yet, it's not definite," Sharifov said.
Earlier, Sharifov claimed that U.S. authorities were treating Kolchin strictly in light of a string of recent violations on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Kolchin was detained by police on the Brooklyn Bridge on Aug. 24 after he climbed the iconic structure to take a selfie from his phone. He was released on bail of $5,000 and ordered to surrender his passport until after a court hearing.
