California woman Miya Ponsetto is facing federal hate crime charges after falsely accusing a black teen of stealing her phone, and then attacking him in a New York City Hotel.
California woman Miya Ponsetto is facing federal hate crime charges after falsely accusing a black teen of stealing her phone, and then attacking him in a New York City Hotel.
In December, 22-year-old Ponsetto got into a confrontation with 14-year-old Keyon Harold Jr. at the Arlo Hotel. She accused him of stealing her phone, and video shows her grabbing the teen. Her phone was found soon after in an Uber, according to CBS News.
Ponsetto, of Piru, California, was arraigned by videoconference Wednesday in a Manhattan court, and plead not guilty to charges that include unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.
Her next court date is set for October 20.
She was originally arrested in connection to the incident back in January, and initially apologized, CBS stated.
During an interview with CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King, Ponsetto told King "I wasn't racial profiling whatsoever. I'm Puerto Rican. I'm, like, a woman of color."
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