‘Hot felon’ walks out of jail, but social media can’t get enough of her

Fresno’s female “hot felon” was let out out of jail Wednesday after pleading guilty to being a gang member in possession of a concealed gun.

Mirella Ponce, 20, created a stir on social media when her Fresno County Jail mug shot went viral. It shows colorful tattoos on her chest, full lips and painted eyebrows.

Some commenters wrote they wanted to post bail on her behalf, although that never happened. There’s a Mirella Ponce Fan Club on Facebook that had 78 members as of Wednesday.

Despite the notoriety, Ponce had no idea she was an Internet sensation until her attorney, Martin Taleisnik of Fresno, told her about it.

“She’s kind of amazed by it all,” Taleisnik said. “She kind of thinks it’s funny.”

The attorney arranged a deal for Ponce in which she pleaded guilty to a single felony and admitted to being in a gang. In exchange, she will get felony probation at a sentencing hearing in December. Other felony charges were dropped.

Ponce and her infant daughter were passengers in a car stopped by Fresno police Oct. 23 because the headlights were off. The driver did not have a license, so police searched the car and found Ponce’s purple handgun.

Taleisnik said Ponce has every intention of turning her life around. Some people have suggested she try for a modeling contract, he said.

She wouldn’t be the first Valley felon to strut the runway. Jeremy Meeks, whose mug shot in San Joaquin County earned him that county’s “hot felon” moniker, now works as a model.

He has been seen in the company of celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and Paris Hilton.

“She’s 20, she’s young,” Taleisnik said. “She’s got options to make better choices. She does want to do what she needs to do to satisfy the court. She wants to find work and provide for her child.”

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 5:48 PM with the headline "‘Hot felon’ walks out of jail, but social media can’t get enough of her."