Five days in prison and three years of probation. It is the sentence imposed on Paul Pelosi, the husband of the powerful Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, for a car accident while he was drunk. Of the five days behind bars, Pelosi has already served two and two more have been forgiven. The remaining day he will spend it on a course in court. The Speaker’s husband – who pleaded guilty to one of the charges brought against her to minimize jail time – will also have to pay $ 1,700 fines, undergo a drunk driving course, and install in his vehicle. an alcohol control device which, if it is higher than the limits, will prevent the engine from starting.
With the sentence, the video of the May 28 incident in Napa Valley, California, while his wife was on the other coast of the country, in Rhode Island, was released. The 82-year-old was in the Porsche when, trying to cross the SR-29, he collided with a Jeep. Beyond a few scratches, Pelosi came out unscathed from the accident as well as the driver of the other vehicle. The video shot by the police cameras shows Pelosi describing himself to the agents as a “high profile personality” and handing them the license and card of the 11-99 Foundation, a charity that offers assistance to California road agents and aid in terms of school funding for their children. The policemen reassure him that they do not want to cause him problems: “If he has told us the truth, he has nothing to fear,” says one of the officers.
Pelosi, whose tests revealed an above average alcohol content, confesses that he drank a glass of champagne before dinner around 7pm, and then a glass of wine. The images portray him trying to pass the alcohol test: but he encounters many difficulties and the agents do not escape. The two policemen in fact speak of “objective” signs of drunkenness: “You have to lean on the car just to stay in balance,” they hear. But despite the fright, for Pelosi the accident resulted only in a momentary headache, without serious implications for him or for his wife.