An accused swindler who launched a kooky kung-fu attack on Brooklyn photographers got a felony criminal mischief charge chopped down to a misdemeanor on Tuesday.
But Ziming Shen, who still faces a misdemeanor assault charge, wouldn’t smile for the cameras after his little legal victory, and his lawyer, Barry Agulnick, blasted the lensmen.
Shen, a preschool owner who is charged with stealing $2.5 million in federal free-lunch money, flipped out and started throwing punches and kicks in September after posting bond in his case and walking out of Brooklyn Federal Court.
The 52-year-old Shen managed to bloody the nose of one photographer, damage his camera — and wind up on the front page of the Daily News.
To Shen’s dismay, more photographers were waiting for him when he arrived Tuesday to face the music at Brooklyn Criminal Court in the kicking case.
“The photographers, again, like predators, stormed on my client,” Agulnick complained after the judge ordered Shen to steer clear of the photographer he allegedly assaulted. “There is a certain irony and inconsistency here.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Justice Desmond Green replied. “If the so-called paparazzi get arrested, I’ll issue an order of protection against them.”
The prosecutor handling the case Tuesday said there was a simple reason for reducing the criminal mischief charge.
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