Justin Timberlake Pleads Guilty to Impaired Driving

Justin Timberlake speaks to the press after pleading guilty to impaired driving, in Sag Harbor, New York on Sept. 13, 2024. Pamela Smith

Justin Timberlake on Sept. 13 appeared in court in New York and pleaded guilty to driving while impaired.

Timberlake, 43, who had previously pleaded not guilty in the case, then received a sentence that included no time in prison.

The famous singer and actor appeared in Sag Harbor Village Court on Friday and admitted to driving in the early hours of June 18 on Long Island after drinking.

Village Justice Carl Irace sentenced Timberlake to a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge and 25 hours of community service at the nonprofit of his choosing and required him to make a public safety announcement. The sentence was for impaired driving, a lesser charge than the original charge of driving while intoxicated.

Timberlake stood throughout the proceedings and told the court he was remorseful for what transpired. He said he grew up in a small town and appreciated the kind of strain his arrest has made on Sag Harbor. He said he has had a lot of time to reflect on his actions.

“I did not live up to the standards that I try to hold for myself,” he said.

Irace said he was disappointed with the proposed plea deal offered by prosecutors, expressing concern that it did not give Timberlake proper time for him to reflect on his actions for that reason. That prompted the addition of community service to the final sentence.

Prosecutor Patrick O’Connell told the judge that Timberlake’s giving a public service announcement hopefully would show that no one is above the law and even celebrities can be treated like everyone else. He said prosecutors also weighed recommending community service but thought the announcement would be a valuable service in itself because of its potential effect on young people.

Timberlake was arrested shortly after midnight on June 18 in Sag Harbor, which sits about 100 miles northeast of New York City.

“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” police said in one court filing.

“Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car,” Timberlake told a press conference after pleading guilty. “There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. There’s many travel apps. Take a taxi. This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.”

At the previous hearing, Timberlake, appearing virtually, pleaded not guilty as Irace suspended his driver’s license.

Attorney Edward Burke Jr. told reporters in July that his client was not intoxicated when stopped and that he expected the charge to be dropped. He alleged that police “made a number of very significant errors in this case.”

#JustinTimberlake #JustinTimberlakeNews #JustinTimberlakeFans

Hagibis 3.5inch IPS Mini Screen AIDA64 Mini PC CPU RAM HDD Data Monitor Display Sub Screen with USB C Hub for Laptop PC MacBook