Bieber Pleads Guilty

“Breaking news” yesterday was that pop star Justin Bieber plead guilty to criminal charges in Miami, Florida.

Justin Bieber was charged with Driving Under the Influence, Resisting Arrest without Violence, and Driving with an Expired Driver’s License stemming from an incident in Miami Beach where Bieber and friends shut down a residential street so that they could drag race Lamborghinis. Within his plea agreement, the State Attorney’s Office reduced the DUI charge to careless driving and ordered that Bieber complete the Victim Impact Program, pay a $500 fine, attend 12 hours of anger management, and pay court costs. Bieber plead guilty to the careless driving. Bieber also plead guilty to Resisting Arrest without Violence. As for the Driving with an Expired Driver’s License charge, Bieber provided proof that he has a valid driver’s license, and as a result, the State dropped that charge.

Careless Driving is merely a moving traffic violation. However, Driving Under the Influence is a misdemeanor in the State of Florida codified under Florida Statute 316.193. A DUI conviction in the State of Florida for a first offense is punishable by up to 180 days in county jail, a fine of up to $1000, up to 12 months of probation, 6 months driver’s license suspension, 50 hours of community service, DUI school, and a 10 day vehicle immobilization. 

Resisting Arrest without Violence is also a misdemeanor in Florida, found in Florida Statute 843.02, and is punishable by up to one year in county jail.

Casey Reiter is an associate attorney at Stuart R. Manoff & Associates, P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida, practicing in the areas of Criminal Defense and Marital Law.