A woman who falsely accused a black teenager of theft was charged with a hate crime

A woman who falsely accused a black teenager of theft was charged with a hate crime

A California woman who mistakenly accused a black teenager of stealing her phone at a New York hotel and grabbed it when he tried to leave is now charged with a hate crime.

Mia Ponsetto appeared in court in Manhattan via video conference on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to charges including unlawful detention as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Ponsetto was at the Arlo Hotel in December when she got into a confrontation with a teenager —14-year-old Cian Harrold Jr. — whom she accused of stealing her phone. The video shows how she grabbed the guy when he tried to leave. The phone was soon found in Uber.

Ponsetto, of Piru, California, was initially arrested in January on other charges in connection with the confrontation. At first, the 22-year-old seemed to apologize, but later changed her behavior in an interview with CBS.

«It wasn’t racial profiling,» she said.

«I’m Puerto Rican. I am a woman of color myself.»

Her next trial is scheduled for October 20.

«These charges are a blatant and blatant abuse of the law. her lawyer, Paul D’Emilia, said — » This is an absurdity that distorts our legal system.»

The teenager’s family filed a lawsuit against Ponsetto and the hotel, citing racial profiling.

The victim’s father, musician Cian Harrold, noted that Ponsetto’s arrest was «only the first step in a very important conversation» about racial profiling, «which should happen in America.»

«If I had done the same thing that Mia Ponsetto did to my son, I would be in prison right now,» he said.

«If I had hurt her in any way, I would be in prison right now. We wouldn’t even be able to talk about it.»

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