A New York man who randomly punched a woman walking on a Manhattan street nearly two years ago has been convicted of hate crimes in connection with that assault and several others. He also followed a Jewish couple and shouted, “Die, Jews, die!” after they filmed him tearing down posters of hostages.
The maximum sentence for the offenses is 12 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14.
A New York state judge ruled Wednesday that Skiboky Stora, 42, was guilty of assault, stalking and harassment in what prosecutors described as a series of anti-woman, anti-white and antisemitic incidents in 2023 and 2024.
Stora, who represented himself, maintained his innocence. “I never did anything racist to anybody, and I never did anything discriminating against anybody, and I never tried to injure anybody,” he said in his closing argument, according to the New York Post.
Prosecutors, however, presented video showing the defendant harassing a Jewish couple, as well as videos he recorded himself in which he is seen shouting at and harassing white people, the newspaper reported.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, “The victims were met with both violence and harassment simply because of who they are. Hate crimes strike at the core of our city’s values and sense of safety, and I thank the hardworking prosecutors of our Hate Crimes Unit for presenting a rigorous case and securing this conviction.”
Stora’s Instagram account indicates that he considers himself a descendant of Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican leader who founded the Back-to-Africa movement. Garvey devoted his life to the Black nationalist struggle and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association. He advocated Pan-Africanism, national independence for African countries, political organization, economic self-sufficiency and political activism, as well as cultural and psychological liberation from white domination.
The March 2024 assault on 25-year-old social media influencer Halley Kate McGookin drew widespread attention after she shared her experience on TikTok, prompting other women to say they had experienced similar attacks. Stora punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground. She suffered pain and swelling on the left side of her head.
Months earlier, Stora struck a 17-year-old student in the neck with his elbow while shouting and cursing at him. He also assaulted and injured a 37-year-old woman passing by, according to prosecutors. Stora denied those allegations.