By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — A Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and former girlfriend of Sean Penn who was charged with punching another woman over a taxi cab in Chelsea rejected a plea deal on Tuesday.
Jessica White, 26, who has appeared as a Victoria's Secret Angel, allegedly shoved Vanessa Kian in front of 116 Tenth Ave. while trying to hail a cab, prosecutors said.
She was offered a plea to a violation, which is not considered a crime and is akin to a traffic offense, but she rejected it Tuesday because she has been falsely accused, her lawyer said.
She would have been sentenced to community service and anger management as part of the deal.
"The alleged victim was falsifying a report as to what really happened," attorney Mark Jay Heller said.
"Someone yelled, 'I know you're a celebrity and I'm going to take you down,'" Heller added, referring to the night of the alleged incident.
Heller said surveillance video and three eyewitnesses corroborate White's story that she was in fact the punched by Kian.
Prosecutors said White struck Kian "numerous times in the face" that caused "lacerations, swelling, and substantial pain."
She was charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment and is schedule to reappear in court on May 17 for trial.
