Paul Pelosi’s shockingly bad driving record appears to have finally caught up with him and could result in a substantial jail sentence if he is convicted.
The 86-year-old husband of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi was charged in a hit-and-run crash over the Fourth of July weekend in northern California wine country.
Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley filed charges against Pelosi Friday, violations that included one count of misdemeanor hit-and-run driving and one infraction for turning unlawfully, multiple news outlets reported.
The charge for leaving the scene of an accident where there was only property damage is punishable by up to six months in the county jail and a maximum fine of $1000.
The San Francisco-based venture capitalist, who has been married to former House speaker for more than 60 years, was also arrested in May of 2022 for DUI after crashing in Napa County. He pled guilty, served two days in jail instead of a possible five, and got three years probation in that case.
In the most recent crash, driving under the influence was ruled out after a test showed he had zero blood alcohol content, police said.
The violations in the past five years are only two of many incidents that include a fatal sports car crash when Pelosi was only 16 that took the life of his 19-year-old brother.
In a 13-year period before the July 3 crash, authorities had cited Pelosi with at least eight driving violations that included speeding, blowing through several red lights, and driving the wrong way down a one-way street, according to court records noted this week by the New York Times.
In the most recent incident, Pelosi smashed his brown Maserati convertible into a parked Tesla in Yountville, and according to a witness, stopped briefly and then drove away, various news outlets have reported from sheriff’s office statements.
A witness called 911.
Meanwhile, Pelosi didn’t go far, as the damage made the Maserati impossible to drive.
Police found Pelosi inside his vehicle that was partially blocking a driveway on Yountville Cross Road, according to the California Post. The car had major damage to the front passenger side.
Pelosi reportedly told police he thought he struck something but wasn’t aware of what it was, according to the Post report.
The venture capitalist was administered alcohol screening tests but passed with flying colors.
A spokesman for Rep. Nancy Pelosi and her husband tried to get out in front of the story shortly after the incident.
“Mr. Paul Pelosi has personally apologized to the owner of the vehicle and assured them that he would take responsibility for the damage to their vehicle,” a spokesperson told the Post. “Speaker Pelosi will not be commenting further on this private matter.”
Pelosi apparently is a sports car enthusiast, even in his senior years. In the 2022 drunk driving incident he was driving a black 2021 Porsche 911 after leaving dinner in Oakville with a long-time donor. He was six miles from the couple’s Napa Valley country house.
According to the Post:
Pelosi was trying to cross State Route 29 when a Jeep came down the highway and hit his car. His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.082 percent, and he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury.
Pelosi pleaded guilty in August 2022 and he was sentenced to five days in jail. He was ordered to pay $6,800 in fines and restitution, complete a DUI program, and three years of probation.
Pelosi’s first car crash was a tragic one.
In 1957, when he was 16, he and his 19-year-old brother David reportedly were in the family’s Corvette sports car in an early morning joyride near San Mateo south of San Francisco, according to a 1957 San Francisco Examiner clipping published by the Daily Mail.
The older son of a San Francisco druggist urged his younger brother Paul to drive slower, according to a patrolman quoted in San Francisco news reports at the time.
“This is a bad stretch — better slow down,” David was reported to have said as the car approached a tight curve on the Skyline Highway. Pelosi reportedly tried to downshift but lost control of the Chevrolet sports car, flipping it over, which took the life of his brother.
Reports indicate the older brother may have died from strangulation as he was wearing a neck brace at the time from a previous diving accident.
The young Pelosi was cited for misdemeanor manslaughter but was later exonerated by a coroner’s jury.
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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