Overview
- The couple, Russian climbers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, scaled the Empire State Building in July and unfurled a peace-themed flag before Kuznetsov proposed on the roof.
- Prosecutors charged them with first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal mischief, third-degree burglary and a misdemeanor unlawful-climbing count.
- Their lawyer says a misdemeanor plea that would have shielded them from deportation was accepted then pulled the night before the Nov. 12 court hearing.
- A Manhattan DA spokesperson says it is inaccurate to say any offer was withdrawn and that the formal charges remain unchanged.
- If convicted on the felony counts the couple could face jail time and deportation, a risk their attorney says could expose Kuznetsov to conscription and Nikolau to punishment in Russia, and the case will continue in Manhattan court.