14 DAY TRIAL // A teenager has been charged with being in criminal contempt of court proceedings for showing a judge the middle finger during a hearing.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat has sentenced 18-year-old Penelope Soto to 30 days in jail after her disrespectful gesture.
Soto appeared in court on drug-related charges on Monday, February 4, NBC Miami writes. Arrested for unlawful possession of regulated Xanax pills, she appeared to treat the trial in a joking manner.
The judge begins the session by trying to determine if she can afford a lawyer. During a series of questions about her assets, he asks the defendant about her jewelry. As she giggles, the teenager describes that it is worth a lot of money.
"It's not a joke, you know, we're not in a club now. [...] We are not in a club, be serious about it," Rodriguez-Chomat advises her.
"I'm serious about it, you just made me laugh. [...] You just made me laugh, I apologize. It's worth a lot of money,” she tells him.
He insists and demands for her to specify the value of said jewelry, to which Soto responds by using a Rick Ross reference.
"Like Rick Ross. It's worth money," she says.
Rodriguez-Chomat then asks the girl if she has consumed drugs recently, or the day of the trial to which she replies "Actually, no."
After he sets her bail to $5,000 (€3,690), Rodriguez-Chomat is willing to put the case to rest, but changes his mind as she says goodbye with an “adios.”
After he calls her back, he doubles her bail and she responds by flipping him the bird and cursing. It's her behavior at the end of the hearing that gets her 30 days in county jail.
"Are you serious," she asks.
"I am serious. Adios," the judge replies.