Fight or flight? Woman gets four months in prison for brawl in first class

Police file

A New York woman has been sentenced to four months in prison following an altercation she had on a plane in 2021.

According to the US Department of Justice, Bronx residents Kelly Pichardo and Leeza S. Rodriguez were flying first class from Dallas to LA with American Airlines.

They began “engaging in unruly and intimidating behaviour,” which included assaulting in-flight crew members.

Things got so bad, that the flight had to divert to Phoenix, Arizona, just so Pichardo and Rodriguez could be escorted out of the plane.

Police confronted both women on arrival. Pichardo admitted to her actions and was ordered to pay US$9,123 (over $12,000 Canadian) to the carrier as restitution for the interference caused.

You might also like:

But to add insult to injury, the 32-year-old was also sentenced to four months in prison followed by 35 months of supervised release by US District Judge Dominic W. Lanza.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, is yet to face the music, which, rest assured, is coming.

Court documents say sentencing awaits her on November 7.

US attorney Gary Restaino stressed that just because a person is travelling in first class, they are not immune to prosecution following their actions.

“Defendant’s verbal and physical intimidation disrupted the travel of passengers and crew alike,” he commented. “There is a line between boorish behaviour on an airplane and criminal activity, and the defendant clearly crossed it.”

We don’t know what exactly happened on the plane, or whether the two women are friends, but things were bad enough that the case is now being investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Phoenix Police Department.

Is the punishment too heavy for the crime? Let us know your thoughts.