California businessman Paul Pelosi has pleaded not guilty to charges of driving under the influence stemming from an incident in May.
Mr Pelosi, the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did not personally appear in court in Napa County on Wednesday morning. His attorney, Amanda Bevins, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to the two misdemeanour charges he’s facing — driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher.
In May, Mr Pelosi was arrested in Napa County after his 2021 Porsche crashed into a 2014 Jeep, whose driver sustained minor injuries. Mr Pelosi was booked into jail and released on a $5,000 bond. Ms Pelosi was in Rhode Island at the time preparing to give a commencement address at Brown University.
A representative for Mr Pelosi said that the multimillionaire businessman had attended a dinner party in the California wine country that night and was driving himself home when the crash occurred. His representative said that he cooperated fully with authorities, who did not process his arrest until 7:30 a.m. the following morning.
Mr Pelosi, who was born in San Francisco and has lived much of his life in the Bay Area, runs the venture capital firm Financial Leasing Services and has a personal fortune of more than $100 million. He and Ms Pelosi, who have been married for nearly 60 years, have five children together.
Mr Pelosi was also briefly a professional sports team owner. In 2009, he purchased a majority share in the California Redwoods in the United Football League. The team moved to Sacramento shortly before the league folded several years later.
According to prosecutors and The Hill, Mr Pelosi will face up to five days in jail and up to five years of probation if convicted. He would also have to take a class on driving under the influence and have to blow into a breathalyzer to measure his sobreity before opearting his vehicle.
