Paul Pelosi, 82, a multimillionaire American businessman who is married to United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, crashed his 2021 Porsche after he collided with Jesus Lopez, the driver of a 2014 Jeep, at around 10:26 p.m. on May 28. The car crash occurred in Napa County, California after Pelosi left a dinner at Alexander Mehran's estate.
Despite pleading not guilty earlier this month, Pelosi pleaded guilty on Tuesday to driving under the influence of alcohol. He was not present at the Napa County Superior Court for his sentencing, which includes eight hours of community service, three years of probation, about $2,000 in court fines, and roughly $5,000 in restitution to Lopez for damage to his Jeep.
Pelosi will still be able to retain his driver's license but will have to use an interlock ignition device that only allows the car to start if the driver provides an alcohol-free breath sample in order to start the car, which he will have to do for a year. He will also be required to attend a D.U.I. class. While Pelosi was sentenced to five days in jail, he was credited with "good conduct" for his first night in jail after the arrest and had that time shortened. In lieu of jail time, Pelosi will be required to serve eight hours of court work.
Pelosi came under fire after it was revealed that he handed his license, as well as his "CHP 11-99 Foundation" card, The California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation, to the police at the scene of the accident. Laura Reed, the Director of Marketing and Communications, responded to the incident by saying that they would evaluate Pelosi's membership status after the outcome of the trial.