Miya Ponsetto is due to return to court in New York on Monday after falsely accusing a black teenage girl of stealing her iPhone.
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“Soho Karen” Miya Ponsetto is scheduled to appear in New York court on Monday after falsely accusing a black teenager of stealing his iPhone.
Ponsetto, 22, of Piru, Calif., Was arrested two weeks after the Dec. 26 incident in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in Manhattan.
She faces charges of attempted robbery, robbery, acting in a manner harmful to a child and two counts of attempted assault, police said.
A video of Ponsetto’s confrontation with Keyon Harrold Jr., then 14, was recorded and uploaded by his father, jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold Sr.
The video shows a restless woman demanding the teenager’s phone and accusing him of stealing it.
On Wednesday, Harrold Jr.’s family filed a lawsuit alleging that Ponsetto and the hotel were engaging in racial profiling.
They allege in the lawsuit in Manhattan State Court that Harrold Jr. was “violently accosted” by Ponsetto and that hotel manager Chad Nathan assisted her and demanded that the teenager return his phone for inspection.
After the incident, Ponsetto denied being racist and apologized to the teenager for “making him feel inferior” in a rambling interview with CBS This Morning’s Gayle King.
“I admit, yeah, I could’ve approached it a different way or maybe not yelled at him like that and made him feel, you know, maybe – sort of – uh – an inferior way, him giving the impression that I wanted to hurt her feelings, because that is not my intention, ”said Ponsetto.
Attorney Sharen Ghatan explained that Ponsetto, from California, was visiting her father in New York for Christmas and was nervous about being alone in a strange city.
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The NYPD released surveillance footage of Ponsetto attacking Keyon Jr on the ground in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel after accusing him of stealing his iPhone.
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Paul D´Emilia, a lawyer for Ponsetto, had said in an email last week that Ponsetto was at his home in California and had not been informed of any lawsuits.
Security video released by police shows Ponsetto grabbing Harrold as he tries to get away from her through the hotel’s front door.
“The defendants treated the plaintiffs differently from other guests and guests in public accommodation because of their race,” says the lawsuit.
In addition to Ponsetto and Nathan and Arlo Soho LLC, the lawsuit names Quadrum Hospitality Group LLC and 2REN LLC as defendants. Messages requesting comment were left at the hotel and businesses.
Video of Ponsetto’s confrontation with then 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr., left, was recorded and uploaded by his father, jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold Sr, right
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Keyon Harrold Jr’s parents – dad Keyon Sr., left, and mum Katty Rodriguez, center – have filed a complaint alleging that Ponsetto and the hotel were engaging in racial profiling.
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In January, a California judge dropped a public intoxication misdemeanor account against Ponsetto, linked to an arrest in February 2020.
His mother, Nicole Ponsetto, did not dispute the arraignment of a police officer and the public intoxication in the same incident.
She was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and entered a 12-month diversion program.
They were both arrested after an intoxicated incident at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills.
“Soho Karen” Miya Ponsetto, 22, landed at Los Angeles International Airport with a drink in hand Sunday afternoon after leaving New York City, where she was arraigned on charges of assault for attacking Keyon Harrold Jr, 14, claiming he stole his phone
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The new civil lawsuit alleges: “Boxing Day, Keyon Harrold and Keyon Harrold, Jr. headed to a restaurant in the lobby of the Arlo Soho hotel, where they had stayed, in order to have brunch.
“As soon as they entered the lobby, they were suddenly confronted and racially profiled by the accused Chad Nathan and Miya Ponsetto. “
The lawsuit then accuses Ponsetto of hunting down and preying on Harrold Jr. after “ignoring all other non-African-American individuals in the lobby.”
Nathan allegedly helped detain Harrold Jr. while hotel security guards stood idly by.
After the attack, Harrold, a Grammy-winning musician, called the police to report what had just happened.
“As a result of the defendants’ actions, the plaintiffs suffered loss and injury including, but not limited to, physical and emotional pain and suffering, great mental distress, shock, fear, loss. economic, humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress, feelings of racial stigma, increased sense of vulnerability and unlawful deprivation of their protected rights to exercise and enjoy equal treatment… ”
The lawsuit seeks damages, as well as legal fees and costs, but does not indicate the desired amount.
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