Woman who falsely accused Black teen of stealing cellphone pleads guilty to hate crime
ABC News
A woman who attacked a Black teen at a luxury New York City hotel after falsely accusing him of stealing her cellphone has pleaded guilty to hate crime charges.
A woman who attacked a Black teen at a luxury New York City hotel after falsely accusing him of stealing her cellphone has pleaded guilty to hate crime charges.
Miya Ponsetto, 23, was charged with child endangerment, attempted assault, attempted robbery and grand larceny after she wrongly accused and physically attacked the 14-year-old son of Grammy-winning trumpet player Keyon Harrold on Dec. 26, 2020, at the hotel where Harrold and his family were staying.
In a video recorded by Harrold, a woman later identified by authorities as Ponsetto could be seen yelling at the teen and lunging at him. Harrold's son could also be heard denying that he stole the phone as numerous witnesses attempted to intervene.
Ponsetto's cellphone was later found by an Uber driver, national civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Harrold family, announced after the incident.
