Justin Timberlake is likely to get a slap on the wrist if he’s convicted of drunk driving, but not because he’s a celebrity, an expert told The Post.
Justin Timberlake is likely to get a slap on the wrist if he’s convicted of drunk driving — but not because he’s a celebrity, a legal expert told The Post.
The “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” singer — who was arrested during a traffic stop on Sag Harbor, LI early Tuesday — would face up to a year in jail if he was found guilty of the DWI rap.
But his seasoned attorney, Eddie Burke Jr., will likely make a bid for a lesser charge of driving while ability impaired (DWAI), said Suffolk County criminal defense lawyer Michael Brown.
“That’s a violation as opposed to a crime,” Brown explained, adding that the charge comes with only a maximum penalty of 15 days in jail, but noting “It won’t happen. What will happen is a fine of up to $500 dollars.”
Timberlake, 43, is in “good hands,” Brown said, noting the star’s attorney is “a very good attorney, very-well known, established with the DAs in Suffolk County.”
A favorable outcome in the case wouldn’t be because of Timberlake’s celebrity status, though, Brown — who worked as a prosecutor in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office from 1992 to 1995 — said.
“I don’t think [the DA’s Office] will make an example of him nor will they be more lenient. I think the case will rise and fall on the merits of the case,” he said.
