A lawyer for the woman dubbed 'SoHo Karen' for falsely accusing a black teen of stealing her phone in the lobby of a Manhattan hotel says she has been 'grossly overcharged'.
Miya Ponsetto, 23, appeared in the Manhattan Supreme Court for a status hearing on Monday on the charges she faces - including unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child, which could see her facing up to 10 years in prison.
Ponsetto's lawyer told the judge that he is trying to 'resolve' the hate crime charge in the case within the next few months.
She went viral last yea after attacking 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. in the lobby of upscale boutique hotel Arlo Soho on December 26, 2020 and falsely accusing him of stealing her iPhone. Harrold Jr. is the son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold.
She later discovered that she forgot her phone in an Uber, and the driver returned it to her.
During a status hearing in court on Monday, criminal defense attorney Paul D'Emilia told DailyMail.com following the hearing that he believed his client was 'grossly overcharged'.
'She was charged with crimes that were greatly enhanced, if I could say that,' he said. 'We don't feel those charges are appropriate, but hopefully there's something that we can reach that will be satisfactory to everybody.'
Miya Ponsetto, who was charged after falsely accusing a black teen of stealing her cell phone inside a boutique hotel last December, appeared at Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday
She was joined by lawyer Paul D'Emilia, who later said his client was 'grossly overcharged'
Ponsetto's actions inside the boutique hotel were filmed by Grammy-winning African American jazz artist Keyon Harrold as she approached his son, Keyon Jr.
In the recording, Ponsetto is seen pushing and grabbing at the father and son, allegedly even scratching Keyon Sr's hands as she attempted to snatch his cell phone, wrongly believing it to be hers.
She remained unapologetic during ensuing media interviews, telling Gayle King that she only regretted making the boy 'feel inferior.'
Ponsetto, who lives in Los Angeles, was initially charged with assault and was permitted to fly back to California on bail, where she remains.
She was arraigned via video conference in June with three new counts: unlawful imprisonment as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and endangering the
