DENVER -- A New York woman who police said punched a flight attendant forcing the pilot to land in Denver made her first appearance in court Wednesday.

The charges allege that on June 17, Christina Elizabeth Szele started smoking a cigarette while onboard a JetBlue flight from New York to San Francisco, said U.S. Attorney Troy A. Eid.

A flight attendant told the woman to put her cigarette out, and in response, Szele allegedly yelled obscenities, including racial epithets. Flight attendants attempted to restrain Szele with flex cuffs, but she broke through the cuffs and punched an attendant in the face, Eid said.

The pilot was forced to land the flight a Denver International Airport, where the woman was arrested.

Szele, 35, of Woodside, N.Y., is in federal custody.

If convicted of interference with a flight crew, the defendant faces not more than 20 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine. If convicted of assault, the defendant faces up to six months in prison, and up to a $10,000 fine.