A woman in New York (USA) has been sentenced to four months in prison and three years on probation for spitting on a passenger on a plane and attacking a flight attendant. According to US TV CBS News and the US Attorney’s Office, passengers Kelly Picardo, 32, and Leeza S. Rodriguez, 30, caused chaos on the flight.
The incident took place in February 2021, but the authorities have only now given a sentence of conviction. At the time, the flight from Dallas to Los Angeles was diverted to Phoenix after two people attacked a passenger and a flight attendant on the trip.
They were in first class during the flight and a man asked them to stop talking loudly because their speech had a strong racial content, and it made him uncomfortable. One of them spat at him and cursed him and dropped the boy’s cell phone when he tried to record the fight.
With the ensuing confusion, some of the crew tried to intervene and one of them was attacked. With no solution found to break up the fight, the flight was diverted to Phoenix.
The incident was investigated by the FBI and local police, and the two accused him of abuse of office by verbally and physically assaulting other passengers and workers on the plane.
Kelly was ordered to pay American Airlines approximately US$9,200 (about R$47,000 at current rates) in compensation. He will also be detained for three years after serving four months in prison.
Prosecutor Gary Restaino denied the women’s stance. “There is a line between rude behavior and criminal activity on an airplane, and the defendant has clearly crossed it. First class passengers are not exempt from prosecution: Verbal and physical intimidation interrupted the journey of passengers and crew.”
Leeza has already pleaded guilty and will be tried in November.
The airline said the two women were placed on the “internal exclusion” list and are awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
source: Noticias
