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Disorderly Opera Diva Apologizes, Avoids Jail
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 24, 2009
Modified Oct 24, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 24, 2009
Modified Oct 24, 2009
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The Argentinian opera star who was nearly arrested after throwing a tantrum at an Upper West Side restaurant had her day in court yesterday. Soprano Gabriela Pochinki had been carrying on a noisy cell phone conversation via speakerphone at restaurant Nice Matin when a manager asked her to pipe down. When Pochinki blew her off, the manager asked her to leave—four times, and then Pochinki allegedly flew into a rage, shoved her, and refused to pay her bill.
Yesterday she made a brief courtroom appearance to accept a plea deal on misdemeanor charges of trespassing, theft of service, and disorderly conduct, which could have landed her behind bars for up to 90 days. But as expected, she received an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, which means that if she stays out of trouble for six months, the charges will be essentially dropped.
In a statement, Pochinki said, "I'm deeply sorry this situation turned out the way it did, and that I was speaking too loudly on my cell." Her next court date is in April, and we'll keep following up on this important story until we run out of photos of Pochinki.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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