Miya Ponsetto, 23, pleaded guilty Monday to unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, which is a felony, but will have the opportunity to re-plead guilty to misconduct if she complies with the terms of the agreement. Ponceto was ordered to complete a two-year probation due to a separate case of driving under the influence and resistance, to continue to hire a lawyer and to have no other arrests. If he violates the agreement, he could face up to four years in prison, prosecutors said. The allegations stemmed from an incident in December 2020 in which Ponceto falsely accused Keyon Harrold Jr., a black teenager and son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold, of stealing her phone at the Arlo Hotel in Manhattan. The video of the incident, recorded by Harold and the hotel, showed Poncheto grabbing Harold Jr., who was then 14 years old, trying to get away. At one point, Ponzeto confronts Harold Jr., and they both fall to the ground. Ponceto’s phone was later found in an Uber and returned. Ponzeto initially seemed apologetic to the Harold family, but in a 2021 interview with CBS, he suggested that he eventually tried to steal her phone. “Well, maybe it wasn’t him, but at the same time, how come, as soon as I was asked to leave the place after I had accused this person of stealing my phone, how suddenly I just miraculously have my phone in the back?” said Ponceto. The teenager’s family filed a lawsuit against Ponceto and the hotel, accusing him of racial profiling. The case is pending. Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg said the agreement on the objection “ensures proper accountability” by addressing the underlying causes of Ponceto’s conduct and ensuring that it is not repeated. “Mrs Ponceto has shown outrageous behavior,” Bragg said in a statement. “As a Black man, I have personally experienced a racial profile countless times in my life and I sympathize with the young man who died in this incident.” Ponzetto’s lawyer, Paul D’Emilia, described the meeting as an “unfortunate misunderstanding” and said the misdemeanor charge “reflects more realistically her actions that night at the Arlo Hotel”. “It is Mrs Ponceto’s wish for Keyon Harrold to accept her remorse and apology for her conduct that night and for all involved to be able to proceed with extra foresight and compassion.”
