A woman leaving Tampa International Airport interfered with flight attendants by assault and intimidation, and now she will face the consequences.
37-year-old Jennifer Rodriguez, of Puerto Rico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Mizelle to five months in federal prison for interfering with flight attendants by assault and intimidation.
According to court documents, on April 21, 2024, Rodriguez was a passenger on a commercial flight departing Tampa International Airport headed for San Juan, Puerto Rico.
After the plane had pushed back from the gate, a flight attendant repeatedly requested that Rodriguez end her cellphone call. Instead, Rodriguez began arguing with the flight attendants.
Rodriguez began yelling at the flight attendants and threatened to hit, slap, “beat up,” pull their hair, and drag them down the plane’s aisle by their scarves. She also interfered with their ability to provide medical assistance to a nearby passenger and to prepare the cabin for takeoff.
The pilot was forced to return to the gate, and the passengers were required to disembark so that Jennifer Rodriguez could be escorted off the plane by law enforcement.
This Central Florida case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa International Airport Police. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty on July 17, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
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Got what she deserved