A California lady who falsely accused a teen of stealing her cellphone after which attacked him at a New York Metropolis lodge was charged with a hate crime on Wednesday.
Miya Ponsetto, 22, pleaded not responsible to 2 counts of second-degree illegal imprisonment as a hate crime, one rely of second-degree aggravated harassment and one rely of endangering the welfare of a kid. She was arraigned in New York State Supreme Courtroom in Manhattan over video name.
Ms. Ponsetto gained widespread consideration after a video was launched of her confronting Keyon Harrold Jr., then 14, within the foyer of the Arlo Lodge in SoHo in December.
Within the video, which was recorded by Keyon’s father, the distinguished jazz musician Keyon Harrold, Ms. Ponsetto, who’s of Puerto Rican and Vietnamese descent, tackles {the teenager}, who’s Black, after accusing him of stealing her cellphone.
She could be heard yelling within the video, “No, I’m not letting him stroll away with my cellphone!”
The cellphone was later discovered and returned by an Uber driver.
Ms. Ponsetto had already been charged with tried theft, grand larceny, performing in a way injurious to a baby and tried assault earlier this yr, however the workplace of Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district legal professional, introduced further costs, together with hate crimes costs, on Wednesday.
“We intend on preventing this very vigorously, particularly within the wake of the embellished costs District Lawyer Vance has charged Miya Ponsetto with,” Ms. Ponsetto’s lawyer, Paul D’Emilia, mentioned.
Mr. Harrold mentioned his household was transferring ahead with a lawsuit towards the Arlo Lodge and Ms. Ponsetto.
“I’m feeling hopeful,” he mentioned in an interview on Thursday. “Clearly as Black folks, it’s arduous to imagine in a system and imagine that the system will work for me and for my household. However to see that there’s work being executed to alter issues is one thing so optimistic.”
Mr. Harrold mentioned he believed the lodge had “empowered” Ms. Ponsetto and that it had executed nothing to guard his son. A consultant for the lodge didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
He mentioned that he was nonetheless baffled {that a} day that was meant to be a enjoyable father-and-son outing had been derailed.
“Our life modified as a result of anyone having the entitlement and concept that simply due to the best way my son appeared he was the one who stole her property, which is so ridiculous,” Mr. Harrold mentioned. “It’s been a few months, however each time I discuss it, it brings again all types of feelings — just like the worry that if I wasn’t there to guard my son, what might have occurred?”
Mr. Harrold mentioned he hoped his son’s encounter with Ms. Ponsetto highlighted how widespread it’s for Black folks to be harassed merely for present in areas that others imagine they shouldn’t be in.
“When persons are falsely accused, it powers the system of injustice and powers the system of inequality,” he mentioned. “And it marginalizes folks of coloration disproportionately.”
Ms. Ponsetto discovered herself in additional scorching water after she was interviewed by Gayle King on “CBS This Morning” and the interview went viral earlier this yr.
Ms. Ponsetto downplayed her actions throughout the interview, and steered that she couldn’t be racist as a result of she was a girl of coloration. She even lifted her hand as much as silence Ms. King at one level, saying “sufficient.”
“It didn’t appear to be my accusations bothered the son and father as a result of they had been having fun with a pleasant meal after this entire encounter,” she mentioned within the interview.
She was arrested in reference to the lodge episode hours later.
Ms. Ponsetto had additionally confronted costs in unrelated instances in California, the place she was accused of public intoxication, driving with a suspended license and entering into altercations along with her mom and cops.
Throughout Wednesday’s listening to, Ms. Ponsetto, who stays beneath court-supervised launch in California, spoke quietly and mentioned little. Her subsequent courtroom look is ready for Oct. 20.
Ashley Wong and Mihir Zaveri contributed reporting.