Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, of Sacramento, California, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal court of “interfering with a flight crewmember or attendant.”
During a flight from Sacramento to San Diego on May 23, Quinonez hit a flight attendant, identified in court documents only as “SL.” The attendant was left with three chipped teeth, two of which had to be replaced with crowns, and a bruised, swollen left eye with a cut below it that required stitches.
Quinonez entered her plea in a San Diego federal courthouse on Wednesday. Her sentencing is set for March 11. The charge carries a maximum punishment of twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The US Attorney’s Office is expected to recommend four months in jail and six months of house arrest. The prosecution and defense will also mutually recommend a $5,000 fine, financial restitution, three years of community service, and anger management classes.
“The flight attendant who was assaulted was simply doing her job to ensure the safety of all passengers aboard the plane,” said acting US Attorney Randy Grossman in a statement. “It’s inexcusable for anyone to use violence on an airplane for any reason, particularly toward a flight attendant who is there to keep all the passengers safe.”
In her plea agreement, Quinonez admitted to pushing the attendant, punching her, and grabbing her hair.
The US Attorney’s Office said that the fight occurred during the plane’s descent after Quinonez ignored the flight attendant when asked to wear her face mask correctly, fasten her seatbelt, and stow her tray table. The fight was filmed by other passengers and widely distributed on social media. The video can be watched below.
Quinonez initially told officers she acted in self-defense after being taken into custody by San Diego Harbor Police at the airport.
Altercations between passengers and flight attendants have occurred at several airlines, prompting Attorney General Merrick Garland to prioritize federal crimes on commercial flights.
At the time of the assault, the Federal Aviation Administration said it had launched a historic 950 investigations into passenger behavior on commercial flights this year, the most since the agency began recording incidents in 1995.
According to the agency, there have now been nearly 5,779 incidents this year, 4,156 of which were related to face masks.
