A passenger of a Southwest flight who was accused of repeatedly striking a flight attendant last year after she was told to wear her face mask, the passenger will spend up to 15 months in federal custody, following a court ruling Friday.
Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, is also required to pay $26,000 in restitution after an incident that left Southwest Airlines employee with three chipped teeth and an eye injury that required stitches last May, according to FOX 5 San Diego.
Quinonez is also required to pay $7,500 in fines and serve three additional years of supervised release, court documents show.
She will have to undergo counseling or anger management courses and has been banned from flying on commercial airlines, according to the report.
The FBI will vigorously pursue anyone who assaults or interferes with flight crews, the FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy said in a statement.
Airline officials said Quinonez grew erratic after she refused to wear her face mask, wear a seatbelt and lift her tray table before she began screaming at staff and pushing them. The flight attendant was attacked, according to the report.
Other staff were involved in the incident, and several passengers on the flight from Sacramento to San Diego joined in to stop the dispute, Fox 5 reported.
A Southwest Airlines spokeswoman said that Quinonez created a situation onboard Flight 700 that jeopardized the entire flight and created an unsafe environment, as per a letter submitted to the U.S. District Court.
The spokesperson added that Quinonez's actions negatively impacted our workgroup beyond description, causing fear to come permanently into the workplace.
She was facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, officials said.