NEW YORK (AP) — A man who randomly punched a woman walking on a Manhattan street nearly two years ago has been convicted of hate crimes in that and several other assaults.
A New York state court judge on Wednesday found Skiboki Stola guilty of assaulting, stalking and harassing strangers for what prosecutors said was a series of anti-women, anti-white and anti-Semitic incidents that occurred between 2023 and 2024.
The 42-year-old Brooklyn resident defended himself during the weeks-long trial in Manhattan court.
“I’ve never done anything racist to anyone, I’ve never done anything to discriminate against anyone, and I’ve never tried to hurt anyone,” he said in his closing statement, according to the New York Post.
However, prosecutors showed Stolla a video of him harassing a Jewish couple, as well as videos of himself yelling and harassing white people, The Washington Post reported.
“The victims were subjected to violence and harassment simply because of who they were,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement after the conviction. “Hate crimes strike at the core of our city’s values and sense of security.”
Stora has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14.
He left a message on his Instagram account claiming to be the “great-great-grandson” of black nationalist Marcus Garvey and running for governor as a Republican, but there was no immediate response.
An assault on a then 23-year-old woman on March 25, 2024 attracted widespread attention when the victim posted about it on TikTok and several others described similar attacks.
Prosecutors said Stolla’s punch knocked the woman to the ground, causing pain and swelling on the left side of her head.
Several months ago, prosecutors said, Stolla elbowed a 17-year-old student in the neck and said, “You guys think you can do whatever you want,” using an expletive.
In a separate incident, he also elbowed a 37-year-old woman in the shoulder, causing bruises, and then harassed a couple who were filmed tearing up a poster of Israeli hostages.
Stora followed the couple, shouting anti-white and anti-Semitic threats and slurs, including “Go to hell, Jews, go to hell!” according to prosecutors.
