Woman Who Shoved Flight Attendant, Spit On Passenger Gets Prison Time

PHOENIX, AZ — A New York woman who pleaded guilty to shoving a flight attendant and spitting on another passenger while on a flight from Los Angeles to Dallas last year was sentenced to four months in prison, according to the Department of Justice.

Kelly Pichardo, 32, of The Bronx, pleaded guilty to a charge of interference with flight crew members following the 2021 flight when she and Leeza S. Rodriguez, a co-defendant in the case, became unruly and violent while traveling first-class passengers on American Airlines flight.

Pichardo was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. She must also pay $9,123 in restitution to American Airlines.

"There is a line between boorish behavior on an airplane and criminal activity, and the defendant clearly crossed it," U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in a statement. "First class passengers are not immune from prosecution."

According to a report by The New York Times, Pichardo and Rodriguez were talking when Rodriguez used a racial slur, prompting a Black passenger sitting behind the two women to touch Pichardo on the shoulder and admonish them.

Pichardo then spit on the passenger, according to the Times. When a flight attendant approached her, Pichardo lunged at him and pushed him.

According to court documents, the pair's actions caused such a disturbance the pilot had to divert the flight to Phoenix. Both women were arrested when the plane landed.

Rodriguez also pleaded guilty to interfering with a flight attendant, the Times reported. She will be sentenced in November.

On average, there were about 500 reports of unruly passengers per month in 2021, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In comparison, the FAA logged about 10 reports per month from 2014 to 2019, CNBC reported.

Nearly 3 out of 4 unruly passenger reports were related to mask compliance, according to CNBC.

So far this year, the FAA has logged about 670 reports of unruly passengers, according to FAA statistics.

RELATED: Two Unruly Airline Passengers Slapped With Largest Fines Ever: FAA

Unruly, Maskless Flyers Face Thousands Of Dollars In Fines: FAA