Woman charged with hate crime in state Capitol clash
A state’s attorney has filed a hate crime charge against a New Fairfield woman accused of spitting on a Black protester outside the state Capitol in January during ceremonies for the opening the legislative session.
Yuliya Gilshteyn, 44, faces charges including deprivation of rights, the state’s hate crime statute, Hartford state’s attorney Sharmese Walcott announced Thursday.
Gilshteyn, a white woman, was accused of spitting on a Black woman during a confrontation outside the Capitol building, authorities said.
She was charged at the time with breach of peace, but investigators later learned the incident was captured on footage recorded by a news crew covering the protest that day.
“The follow-up investigation done by Inspector [Joseph] 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,” Walcott said 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.”
Gilshteyn was also charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury and attempted third-degree assault, Walcott said Thursday.
Gilshteyn, who has not entered a plea to the breach of peace charge, was released on a promise to appear May 19 in state Superior Court in Hartford.
Following the incident, Gilshteyn’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, said his client was apologetic and remorseful for her actions.
“My client denies that this was in any way racially motivated. This was an unfortunate situation, she feels horrible about it,” Kaloidis said Thursday.