A former NYPD patrolman convicted of plastering graffiti on a highway overpass was given a stern lashing yesterday by a Queens judge — before he was sentenced to three years’ probation.

Steven Weinberg, 44, was convicted of fourth-degree criminal mischief and making graffiti last month for painting his former tag, “NEO,” on a Clearview Expressway overpass.

He sent text messages to his buddies — which were introduced as evidence at his bench trial — boasting about his exploits.

“You need to separate ties with those people of the past,” acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Salvatore Modica scolded the husband and father of three before slapping him with probation and $700 in fines.