The Long Island man who ran onto Citi Field this past June has been banned from the ballpark for a year and forced to pay thousands of dollars in fines, Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement.
Rafael Diaz, 33, of Massapequa, pleaded guilty to interfering with a professional sporting event on June 1, 2012. According to the charges, Diaz jumped over the railing and ran across the field to the pitcher’s mound, just moments after Johan Santana completed the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history.
Diaz now has to pay a $1,000 fine to the City of New York, $4,000 in civil penalties to the New York Mets, and perform 100 hours of community service in Queens County. He has also been served a trespass notice from the New York Mets, and indefinitely banned from entering any home or away Mets game. If Diaz fails to comply, he can be re-sentenced to a minimum of 15 days in jail to a maximum of one year, according to District Attorney Brown.
“The defendant’s antics have resulted in a criminal record, the paying of thousands of dollars in fines and civil penalties, and – perhaps the worse punishment for any true Mets fan – precludes him from ever again visiting Citi Field,” District Attorney Brown said in a statement. “He has now learned the hard way that the Queens District Attorney’s Office and the New York Mets have zero tolerance for those who interfere with the play of America’s pastime.”
