According to federal prosecutors, a New York woman was sentenced to four months in prison for interfering with crew members on a Dallas-to-Los Angeles airplane that was diverted to Phoenix last year.
They claimed that Kelly Pichardo and another first-class passenger displayed threatening conduct throughout the trip, and that both women had to be removed from the airplane upon landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on February 24, 2021.
Authorities claim that each woman attacked a passenger on the trip and shouted racist insults when requested by a male passenger to stop.
When the man attempted to capture the incident, Pichardo reportedly spat at him.
The FBI and Phoenix police investigated the incident and indicted the two women for disorderly conduct for verbally and physically abusing other customers and flight staff.
As a consequence of the altercation, 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 spend three years of supervised release completing her jail term.
“There is a line between boorish behaviour on an aeroplane and criminal activity, and the defendant clearly crossed it,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said. “First class passengers are not immune from prosecution: defendant’s verbal and physical intimidation disrupted the travel of passengers and crew alike.”
Leeza S. Rodriguez, the second female passenger engaged in the event, has pled guilty and will be sentenced in November.
American Airlines said after the event that the two women were “placed on an internal refuse list pending further investigation.”
Each airline maintains a distinct internal ban list from the government No-Fly list. Delta Airlines, which said 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 lists.