According to federal authorities, a New York lady was sentenced to four months in jail for interfering with crew members on a Dallas-to-Los Angeles flight that was diverted to Phoenix last year.
They claimed that Kelly Pichardo and another first-class passenger displayed intimidating behavior during the flight, and that both women had to be removed from the aircraft upon landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on February 24, 2021.
Authorities claim that each woman assaulted a passenger on the trip and used racist slurs when asked by a male passenger to cease.
When the man tried to capture the altercation, Pichardo allegedly spat at him.
The FBI and Phoenix police investigated the incident and indicted the two ladies for disorderly conduct for verbally and physically abusing other customers and flight crew.
As a result of the confrontation, Pichardo, a 32-year-old Bronx resident, has been sentenced to pay approximately $9,200 in compensation to American Airlines, according to prosecutors.
According to reports, Pichardo will also serve three years of supervised release completing her prison term.
“The defendant definitely exceeded the line between rude behavior on a flight and criminal activity,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino stated. “First-class passengers are not exempt from prosecution: the defendant’s verbal and physical intimidation disrupted transport for both passengers and crew.”
Leeza S. Rodriguez, the other female passenger involved in the event, has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in November.
American Airlines stated after the event that the two women were “put on an internal refusal list pending further investigation.”
Each airline maintains a distinct internal ban list from the government No-Fly list. Delta Airlines, which stated that it had barred more than 1,600 individuals since the federal government began forcing passengers to wear masks, has requested that other airlines share their names.