A New Fairfield woman is facing upgraded charges after an incident at the State Capitol on January 6, 2021.
According to the Hartford State's Attorney's Office, 44-year-old Yuliya Gilshteyn, a white woman, is accused of spitting on a Black woman during a protest outside the building on January 6. At the time, Gilshteyn was arrested and charged with breach of peace.
After an investigation that involved reviewing video footage of the situation, on March 17, Gilshteyn was also charged with deprivation of rights (hate crime statute), criminal attempt to commit assault in the third degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and risk of injury to a child.
“The follow-up investigation done by Inspector Buyak, which included obtaining witness statements and video of the incident, confirmed that what occurred in Hartford on January 6, 2021 was much more than a breach of peace,” State's Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott wrote in a statement. “An assault launched against a person on account of their race as they are exercising their First Amendment right and freedom cannot be tolerated."
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Ioannis A Kaloidis, who is representing Gilshteyn, said they disagreed with the new charges.
"We know a hate crime charge was filed. We do not agree with that. My client made a mistake - she acknowledges that. It was not racially-motivated. We are hopeful we can have some dialogue with the other party in the coming months so that we can have some resolution."
