'SoHo Karen' Miya Ponsetto Strikes Plea Deal for Hate Crime, Avoids Jail Time
Miya Ponsetto 'SoHo Karen' Cops Plea on Hate Crime ... Avoiding Jail Time
Miya Ponsetto, aka "SoHo Karen", is striking a plea deal that will keep her from spending any time behind bars after committing what the D.A. deemed a hate crime.
Ponsetto accepted a deal from prosecutors which will require her to "live a law-abiding life" for 2 years. She entered a guilty plea and has agreed to continue with therapy and follow the terms of her probation while living in California.
Miya's lawyer, Paul D'Emilia, tells 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."
If she is able to steer clear of trouble for 2 years, she'll be able to withdraw her guilty plea to the felony and re-plead to aggravated harassment in the second degree -- which is only a misdemeanor.
If she gets in trouble again, though, she could face up to 4 years in prison.
Manhattan's DA, Alvin Bragg, says, "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. This plea ensures appropriate accountability for Ms. Ponsetto by addressing underlying causes for her behavior and ensuring this conduct does not reoccur”.
As we've previously reported, Ponsetto was charged with a hate crime ... after she went viral for attacking a then 14-year-old, Keyon Harrold Jr. as she wrongly accused him of stealing her iPhone.
The ugly 2020 incident was caught on camera as she went after the teenager in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in SoHo.
That wasn't Posetto's first run-in with the law either. In California, she'd also been busted twice for DUI in 2020 and got arrested for being drunk in public with her mom another time ... and remains on probation for that.
As far as this case, she's denied racially profiling Keyon, but did admit she mistakenly accused him.