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Miya Ponsetto, infamously known as “SoHo Karen,” will avoid jail time for her 2020 hate crime against a 14-year-old Black teenager.
Ponsetto plead guilty to a felony on Monday (April 11) but struck a deal with prosecutors to escape prison. The plea deal requires Ponsetto to live a “law-abiding life” where she continues counseling and follows the terms of her probation for the next two years.
If Ponsetto successfully sticks to the terms, she’ll have the chance to withdraw her felony guilty plea and re-plead to second-degree aggravated harassment, which is only a misdemeanor. Ponsetto will face up to four years of prison if she doesn't follow her probation orders.
In December 2020, “SoHo Karen” went viral after wrongly accusing Keyon Harrold Jr. of stealing her phone. The footage showed Ponsetto’s rampage against the teenager at the Arlo Hotel in SoHo.
After finding her phone in an Uber, Ponsetto admitted that she wrongly blamed Harrold, but denied all racial profiling accusations.
Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s District Attorney, said in a statement “This plea ensures appropriate accountability for Ms. Ponsetto by addressing underlying causes for her behavior and ensuring this conduct does not reoccur”.
Bragg added, "Ms. Ponsetto displayed outrageous behavior. As a Black man, I have personally experienced racial profiling countless times in my life and I sympathize with the young man victimized in this incident."
Ponsetto’s lawyer, Paul D’Emilia told TMZ, "We are pleased that today’s proceeding brought this unfortunate misunderstanding closer to a final resolution ... We are appreciative of the District Attorney’s thoughtful and empathetic approach to finding an acceptable conclusion."
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