The woman who was arrested for climbing the Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July to protest the separation of families at the Mexican border has been found guilty on all three counts.
During a one-day trial on Monday, Therese Patricia Okoumou was found guilty on three misdemeanor charges: trespassing, disorderly conduct and interfering with government functions. “The act of climbing the base of the Statue of Liberty went well beyond peaceable protest, a right we certainly respect. It was a crime that put people at grave risk,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement.
The sentencing stems back to Okoumou’s protests of Trump’s infamous “zero tolerance” immigration law. During the protest, Okoumou was marching with a banner that read “Abolish ICE.” After climbing to the statue’s feet, Okoumou marched for nearly two hours.
Okoumou will be sentenced on March 5, 2019. She could be sent to prison for 1 1/2 years—up to six months for each misdemeanor charge.
