A Maryland judge on Wednesday sentenced “Real Housewives of Potomac” star Karen Huger to a year behind bars, 11 months after she got drunk and crashed her Maserati into a street sign.
An original “RHOP” cast member known as the “grande dame” of high society in suburban Washington, Huger was convicted late last year by a Montgomery County jury of driving under the influence and other charges connected to a March 19, 2024, solo crash near Oaklyn Drive in Potomac.
The jury cleared Huger, who was not injured, of reckless driving charge.
Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann sentenced Huger to two years in jail, with one suspended, to go along with $2,900 in fines and five years of probation.
Huger won’t be allowed to drive for a year after she’s released. And if she violates probation, Huger could be sent back to jail to serve the year of suspended time.
She was remanded into custody.
“Driving under the influence is extremely dangerous behavior. We prosecute thousands of D.U.I. cases every year and take them seriously,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement.
“This defendant’s case was not handled any differently based on the facts and her traffic history. We encourage the public to always drive sober and practice safety on the roads.”
Representatives of Bravo and “RHOP” executive producer Andy Cohen declined comment on Wednesday.
In court, Huger admitted fault and said she was grateful no one was injured by her actions.
“Drinking responsibly, especially while taking medications, mean(s) not drinking at all,” she told the court. “I failed at that miserably. I understand how lucky I am that I hit a tree. Thank god I did not hit a pedestrian.”
Huger, 61, faced up to two years behind bars, though prosecutors had requested six months in jail and defense lawyers wanted no time in favor of rehabilitation.
Prosecutors called Huger a repeat offender with three previous alcohol-related traffic cases between 2006 and 2011. None of those previous cases had led to jail time.
A police officer’s body camera captured footage of Huger shortly after the crash with the reality TV figure appearing to struggle with balance and appearing to slur her speech.
Huger did not appear on “RHOP’s” reunion shows earlier this month, but sent a pre-taped video message to announce she’d checked into rehab to address issues with drinking and anti-depressant medication.
Polly DeFrank, Minyvonne Burke, Janhvi Bhojwani and Aimee Cho, NBC Washington contributed.
