Two men found guilty of parachuting off the top of the new World Trade Center building in New York were issued fines, but no jail sentences, by a judge who said they "sullied the memories" of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
James Brady, 33, and Andrew Rossig, 34, were convicted in June of reckless endangerment and unauthorized climbing, but found not guilty on felony charges of burglary.
At sentencing Monday, the two avoided jail sentences but were each ordered to pay a fine $2,000 and perform at least 200 hours of community service.
"These defendants tarnished the building before it even opened and sullied the memories of those who jumped on 9/11, not for sport but because they had to," said New York state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan during sentencing.
The 104-story skyscraper stands on the location where more than 2,700 people were killed, some forced to jump to their deaths, on September 11, 2001, when hijacked planes slammed into the twin World Trade Center towers.
Rossig, Brady and a third jumper, Marko Markovich, climbed the top of the building after sneaking through a hole in a construction fence and plunged about 400 meters.
The stunt, which took place in the early morning hours of September 30, 2013, has been viewed more than 3.5 million times on YouTube .
Markovich is expected to be sentenced for his participation in the stunt next week.
