Woman who stole Scott Wiener’s iPhone strikes plea deal in SF

Deputy Public Defender at San Francisco Public Defender's Office Yali Corea-Levy chats with his client LaSonya Wells after an interview with the Chronicle in the San Francisco County Jail Aug. 5, 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. less Deputy Public Defender at San Francisco Public Defender's Office Yali Corea-Levy chats with his client LaSonya Wells after an interview with the Chronicle in the San Francisco County Jail Aug. 5, 2016 in San ... more Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Woman who stole Scott Wiener’s iPhone strikes plea deal in SF 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The woman who stole then-San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener’s cell phone and was charged with kidnapping for ransom struck a plea deal Tuesday, her lawyer said.

A conviction on the charge — which her lawyer said a judge dismissed independently of the plea deal following litigation — could have sent 40-year-old LaSonya Wells to prison for life in connection with the December 2015 robbery.

Wells’ attorney, Yali Corea-Levy of the San Francisco public defender’s office, said the outcome was “bittersweet,” adding that his client shouldn’t have had to go through “such an emotional roller coaster” to reach the outcome.

A longtime San Francisco resident, Wells has spent much of her life battling homelessness, domestic violence and addiction, she told The Chronicle. Wells, who is African American, shows how race and class factor into the criminal justice system, her attorney argued, saying the kidnapping charge in particular was much too severe for the crime.

Public Defender Jeff Adachi previously told The Chronicle that Wiener’s prominence and Wells’ recordcould have escalated the initial charges.

Max Szabo, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, called the allegation “absurd” in defending his office’s handling of the case. The kidnapping charge was added after Wiener testified about the specifics of the case, Szabo said.

“The kidnapping charge was added because a jury could have reasonably concluded that after the threat of being maced in the face or shot, the victim was being moved against his will for the purposes of taking his phone or money, or both,” Szabo said.

Before the theft, Wells had a long history with the criminal justice system, court records show.

After having his phone taken, Wiener asked for it back, he said. Wells refused and demanded $200 for its return, which he withdrew from an ATM.

Wells pleaded guilty to one count of felony extortion, Corea-Levy said, adding that prosecutors dropped the robbery charge in exchange.

Well is expected to be sentenced to be sentenced to three years in prison for her guilty plea of extortion, according to Szabo and Corea-Levy. Under the terms of her plea agreement and with time served, Wells could be released in five months.

Wiener said he is satisfied with the result.

Wells and an accomplice “robbed me, threatened to mace me, and implied they would shoot me,” he said. They “have now taken responsibility for their crime and accepted the consequences. I wish Ms. Wells the best going forward. I’m glad that she used her time in jail to get her GED. I hope Ms. Wells gets her life on track, stays sober, and stops victimizing people.”

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley