Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to impaired driving Friday, resolving the criminal case stemming from his June arrest in New York’s Hamptons.
The boy band singer-turned-solo star and actor appeared in Sag Harbor Village Court to enter a new plea.
The judge sentenced Timberlake to a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge, 25 hours of community service at the nonprofit of his choosing and required him to make a public safety announcement about the dangers of impaired driving.
“I try to hold myself to a very high standard, and this was not that,” Timberlake told the news media and other onlookers outside the courthouse after the hearing.
“Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car,” he said. “There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. There’s many travel apps. Still, 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.”
During the proceedings Timberlake remained standing throughout and gave a statement in which he expressed remorse for his actions. 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.
Timberlake said he is “grateful for the opportunity to move forward” and use his platform to hopefully help others make “better decisions.“
“I should’ve had better judgment,” he said to the judge. “ I understand the seriousness of this.”
Judge Carl Irace expressed disappointment with the proposed plea deal put forward by prosecutors. He questioned the appropriateness of the public announcement Timberlake intended to make shortly after the court proceedings. He was concerned it did not give proper time for him to reflect on his actions for that reason, he said he was adding on community service requirements to the sentence.
The pop star originally pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated and had his driver’s license suspended during a hearing last month.
Edward Burke Jr., Timberlake’s attorney, maintained outside the court after the hearing that his client only had one drink in two hours at the American Hotel. “Contrary to what was reported, he wasn’t drinking other peoples’ drinks, or warned in advance not to drive,” said Burke, adding that Timberlake was also polite and cooperative during his arrest.
Burke said the lesser charge Timberlake pleaded to is “consistent with these facts.”
Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, a little after midnight on June 18 after police said he ran a stop sign in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol.
Police in court filings also said the 43-year-old Tennessee native’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and that he had “slowed speech,” was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly on all sobriety tests.
Timberlake told the officer he had had one martini and was following some friends home, police said.
Sag Harbor is a one-time whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick” that is nestled amid the Hamptons, an area of seaside communities around 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.
Timberlake’s license suspension in New York likely affects his ability to drive in other states, a legal expert said this week.
Refusing a Breathalyzer test, as Timberlake did during his arrest, triggers an automatic suspension of one’s license under New York state law, which should then be enforced in other states, according to Kenneth Gober, a managing partner at the law firm Lee, Gober & Reyna in Austin, Texas.
“Most states participate in the interstate Driver’s License Compact, an agreement to share information about license suspensions and traffic violations,” he explained in an email. “If a license is suspended in one state it should be suspended in all states.”
In practice, though, it can take a long time for such changes to be reflected across state lines, Gober acknowledged. The pop star also has the resources to easily arrange for a driver and doesn’t need a car to drive to do his job, he added.
Timberlake’s agent and other representatives didn’t respond to emails seeking comment this week.
The 10-time Grammy winner hasn’t publicly addressed the arrest but seemed to acknowledge it during a performance in Chicago just days later.
“It’s been a tough week,” he told the audience during the June 21 show at the United Center. “But you’re here, and I’m here. Nothing can change this moment right now.”
Timberlake has been on tour for months in support of his latest album. He returns to the New York City area in the coming weeks with concerts in Newark, New Jersey; and Brooklyn.
