Napa County prosecutors seldom issue a press release about a misdemeanor crash that damaged nothing but property. On Tuesday, they issued one about Paul Pelosi.
The district attorney’s office said it seldom publicizes cases like this one. Prosecutors cited public and media interest in the Pelosi case as their reason for disclosing the plea and the sentence.
Pelosi, 86, is the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat.
He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor hit-and-run and to an unlawful turn, and a judge barred him from driving for six months.
Prosecutors classified the unlawful turn as a traffic infraction. Leaving the scene of the crash produced the misdemeanor count.
Napa County Superior Court Judge Scott Young handed down the punishment under a plea agreement. District Attorney Allison Haley announced the deal.
According to prosecutors, the California Vehicle Code sections they cited allow no driving ban longer than six months.
Young also placed Pelosi on summary probation for one year, a form of supervision that does not require regular reporting to a probation officer.
The judge ordered Pelosi to complete a 10-day work program. Prosecutors said he must report to the Napa County Department of Corrections by November 20, and that the visit is for booking only.
Pelosi has already paid the owner of the damaged vehicle $11,191.14 in restitution, the district attorney’s office said. The court also ordered him to pay fines and fees.
Taken together, the sentence has five parts: the six-month driving ban, one year of summary probation, the 10-day work program, restitution, and court fines and fees.
The charges trace to July 3 in Yountville, a Napa Valley town known for its wineries and the Michelin-starred French Laundry restaurant.
Pelosi was driving a convertible roughly 15 minutes from the Pelosi family’s Napa Valley estate when it struck a parked Tesla.
The Associated Press reported that Pelosi stopped briefly and then allegedly drove away. His convertible broke down farther along a residential street, where law enforcement officers arrived.
Neighbors described the damage: a smashed rear bumper on the Tesla and one front wheel pushed onto the curb.
Nobody sat inside the Tesla when the convertible hit it, and authorities reported no injuries.
Officials told the AP that alcohol was not involved in the July crash.
A family spokesperson told KRON in July that Pelosi apologized to the owner personally and promised to cover the damage.
Pelosi entered a not-guilty plea through counsel at an August 3 arraignment and remained free on his own recognizance.
His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment after Tuesday’s announcement.
An earlier Napa County crash also ended in court. On May 28, 2022, Pelosi’s Porsche collided with an oncoming Jeep, and prosecutors filed two misdemeanor charges.
Pelosi pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury. His defense attorney appeared on his behalf in August 2022, when Judge Joseph Solga accepted the plea.
Solga dismissed the second charge, which accused Pelosi of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher and causing injury.
The judge sentenced Pelosi to five days in jail and three years of summary probation.
The AP reported that Pelosi spent two days in jail, received credit for two more days for good conduct, and finished the last day through a work program at the courthouse.
That sentence carried a $1,723 fine. It also included $4,927.53 in restitution covering the other driver’s medical bills and lost wages.
Solga further ordered Pelosi to complete a three-month DUI program and to use an ignition interlock device for a year.
The AP reported that the device requires a breath sample before the vehicle will start.
The New York Times reported that the 2022 order barred Pelosi from driving with any measurable amount of alcohol in his system.
It also required him to submit to alcohol testing if officers suspected he was driving with alcohol in his system.
