A woman who took the Statue of Liberty hostage on the Fourth of July to protest the separation of families at the Mexican border has been convicted on all counts by a Manhattan federal judge.
Therese “Patricia” Okoumou, who scaled the base of the national icon, causing the evacuation of the statue and Liberty Island on one of the attraction’s busiest days of the year, was convicted on three misdemeanor charges that could send her to jail for up to 1½ years.
Judge Gabriel Gorenstein on Monday found Okoumou guilty of trespassing, disorderly conduct and interfering with government functions, following a one-day bench trial that saw Okoumou crying on the witness stand.
“I had been destroyed by the plight of our broken immigration system,” the former personal trainer testified as she recalled her motivation for the 24-foot climb to the feet of Lady Liberty.
Okoumou, 44, came to court in a blue outfit littered with statements protesting President Trump’s immigration policies, including “No human is illegal on stolen land.”
Gorenstein said he could not give Okoumou a pass simply because she claims that scaling the wall in protest of Trump’s immigration policies was an act of conscience.
The judge cited Sir Thomas More’s discussion in “A Man for All Seasons” about breaking laws to get to the devil. “And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you — where would you hide?,” the famous Catholic adviser to King Henry VIII retorted in the film.
“I think the defendant’s lawyers know that if I took them up on that invitation, none of us is protected by the law,” the judge said.
The prosecutor said Okoumou endangered herself, rescuers and thousands of Liberty Island visitors when she climbed to the feet of the statue. And the two NYPD cops who had to mount a perilous rescue to get her down testified about the ordeal.
Defense lawyer Ron Kuby said he will ask Gorenstein to sentence Okoumou to time served when she is sentenced on March 5.
“The fact that people say there are consequences to what you do, there is a penalty for what you have done, in no way suggests that it’s proper or decent to impose those consequences or to impose those penalties,” Kuby said outside court.
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels, was also in court because he served as an adviser to Okoumou.
“The verdict today was not surprising in light of the letter of the law, but sometimes you have to stand on principle,” he said.
“The Trump administration’s draconian polices of separating children from parents, stripping children from mothers, has no place in any civilized society on Earth, never mind on any American soil,” he said outside court.
Among Okoumou’s supporters in court were comedian Ilana Glazer of “Broad City” and Ellen Page of “Juno” fame.