Miya Ponsetto was charged with a hate crime in 2020 for attacking and falsely accusing a 14-year-old Black American child of stealing her phone. She only just pleaded guilty to avoid going to jail. On Monday, the Puerto Rican lady allegedly pleaded guilty to the hate crime charge of second-degree illegal detention. As reported by CBS News, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. reportedly announced in court. He said that Ponsetto would be held accountable for her acts and that her guilty plea would prevent her from committing similar offenses.
As part of her plea agreement, Ponsetto must keep up with her therapy sessions, stay out of trouble with the law, and stay on track with her existing probation. If she continues to comply with her probation requirements, she will be able to trade a charge of hate crime for a minor charge, aggravated harassment in the second degree. If Miya Ponsetto breaks the terms of her probation, she faces between one and four years in state jail.
Miya Ponsetto’s Ethnicity and Background
Miya Ponsetto, now 23, became a household name when she was publicly shamed for her role in an attack on a black adolescent in New York City. It’s been said that she was born in Puerto Rico but now calls California home. It has been stated that Ponsetto attended and graduated from Simi Valley High School in 2016, where she participated in the school’s cheerleading program. She and her mother had been arrested for public drunkenness in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, only days before the attack.
At the Arlo SoHo hotel in New York City in December 2020, Miya Ponsetto falsely accused Keyon Harrold Jr., 14, of taking her phone. When the youngster and his father confronted her in the hotel lobby, she lost her phone in an Uber, and the driver later returned it to her. Video of the event was captured and shared extensively on social media.
Particulars Of the Case, Including Charges and Testimonies
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. issued a statement affirming Ponsetto “repeatedly assaulted and pulled” the teenager. The youngster’s family allegedly sued Miya Ponsetto, claiming she engaged in “racial profiling.” The defendant, however, claimed that she could not be racist owing to her mixed ancestry during her controversial interview with CBS Gayle King. During their conversation, Miya Ponsetto told King that, as a “woman of colour,” she is incapable of racism. The latter, however, voiced opposition to her agreement throughout the conversation.
Meanwhile, the victim’s mother, Kat Rodriguez, criticized Ponsetto for her “white privilege.” Ponsetto denied the racist allegations and defended her behaviour in the interview. Miya Ponsetto’s comments during the CBS interview were widely panned, not only because of her attack on Harrold. Later, on January 7, 2021, she was taken into custody outside her Piru home and charged with a hate crime. In June of 2021, Ponsetto entered a not-guilty plea. However, she just entered a plea bargain to escape prison in exchange for probation.
