The woman who accused a Black teen of stealing her phone at a New York City hotel is now facing felony hate crime charges.
The phone was later found in an Uber.
Miya Ponsetto appeared in court Wednesday by videoconference as she pleaded not guilty to unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child, CBS News reported.
She was indicted by a New York grand jury, CNN reported.
Authorities said Ponsetto, who was visiting the Arlo Hotel in December, got into an argument with Keyon Harrold Jr., 14, when she accused him of taking her phone.
She was seen on video grabbing him as he tried to leave the hotel.
Ponsetto was arrested in January on other charges stemming from the incident.
Her attorney spoke out against the charges filed against Ponsetto.
“The charges alleged are a brazen and clear overreach of the intent of the statute,” Paul D’Emilia said in a statement to CBS News. “In sum, they are absurd and a perversion of our legal system.”
The charges are not the only legal issues stemming from the alleged incident.
The teen’s family is suing Ponsetto and the hotel, claiming he was racially profiled.
Ponsetto is on supervised release and will appear in court in October, CNN reported.