“Soho Karen” falsely accused a Black teen of stealing her phone and was charged with a hate crime.
However, according to the New York Post, the charge was removed from her record after she agreed to a plea deal to keep her out of prison.
26-year-old Miya Ponsetto entered a new plea to second-degree aggravated harassment–a misdemeanor.
On December 26, 2020, Ponsetto accused 15-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. of snatching her iPhone at the Arlo Soho Hotel.
Soho Karen Cut A Deal
Ponsetto made the deal in April 2022 after pleading guilty to unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime.
As per her agreement, authorities would wipe the felony from her record if she took counseling and didn’t get in trouble with the cops for two years.
Prosecutors confirmed that Soho Karen had finished the terms of her deal on Monday morning after getting paperwork from defense attorney Paul D’Emilia.
However, if she had not complied with the agreement, Soho Karen would have faced a prison sentence of up to four years.
Harrold’s dad recorded Ponsetto accusing a hotel manager that he had stolen her phone.
However, Harrold Sr. insisted that an Uber driver had returned the phone moments after the incident.
The Harrold family has sued Ponsetto, and the case is in litigation.
Ponsetto infamously told anchor Gayle King that she couldn’t be racist since she’s a “woman of color.”
The judge ordered Ponsetto not to communicate with Harrold Jr. or his father.
Her attorney was pleased:
“I am pleased that Ms. Ponsetto will walk away from this incident with no criminal charges or conviction on her record.”
And:
“In spite of my opinion that this matter was deliberately mischaracterized and mislabeled, I am relieved that our firm successfully convinced the New York County DA to forego any lasting damage to Miya. Ms. Ponsetto was unfairly put through a public wringer stemming from this mishap.”
And:
“Miya was extremely relieved by this resolution and is looking forward to resuming her life in California with her family and loved ones.”
