Family of boy falsely accused of stealing phone calls for more accountability from hotel

The family of a 14-year-old boy who was falsely accused of stealing a cellphone is calling for more accountability from the hotel where the incident happened.

News 12 Staff

Jan 12, 2021, 12:23 AM

Updated 1,365 days ago

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The family of a 14-year-old boy who was falsely accused of stealing a cellphone is calling for more accountability from the hotel where the incident happened.
Residents held signs with the names of the nine hotels owned by Quadrum Global, including Arlo Soho - where the attack occurred.
Video shows Miya Ponsetto, 22, accusing Keyon Harrold Jr. of stealing her phone before the incident.
Family members of the boy say Ponsetto wasn’t even staying at the hotel and that they feel like they were treated unfairly because of the color of their skin.
The family and lawyers say they are happy the woman was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, attempted assault, attempted robbery and attempted grand larceny.
They say they hope it sends a message that there are consequences for what they call racial profiling.
Ponsetto has publicly said her accusations were not based on race.
The NYPD is currently not considering the case a hate crime.