Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in New York’s Sag Harbor Village Court on Friday (September 13).
According to the Associated Press, Timberlake was fined $500 plus a $260 surcharge, ordered to perform 25 hours of community service at a nonprofit of his choosing, and ordered to make a public safety announcement, the adequacy of which troubled Judge Carl Irace, who expressed disappointment with the deal proposed by prosecutors, according to the AP. Irace felt that Timberlake’s intention to make the statement soon after the trial would not have given the *NSYNC alumnus enough time to reflect on his actions, so the judge added the community service requirement to the sentence.
Billboard has reached out to Timberlake’s representative and attorney Ed Burke for comment.
Shortly after the hearing, Timberlake addressed the media outside the courthouse and spoke about the dangers of driving under the influence. “Even if you’ve only had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car,” he said before flashing cameras. “There are so many alternatives – call a friend, take an Uber. There are a lot of travel apps. Take a taxi.”
“That’s a mistake I made, but I hope that everyone watching and listening right now can learn from that mistake,” he added. “I know I certainly did.”
The hearing comes three months after the “SexyBack” singer was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol in the Hamptons. He said he behaved in a manner that “did not meet the standards I try to set for myself,” he told the court on Friday.
“I should have judged better,” he told the judge, AP reported. “I understand the seriousness of the situation.”
Timberlake and his legal team originally pleaded not guilty to a minor drunken driving charge during a virtual court hearing in August after Irace suspended his license. CNN also reported at the time that the judge admonished his lawyer for making comments to the media about the case before the arraignment.
Two days before Friday’s hearing, it was first reported that Timberlake had agreed to a settlement.
