Karen Huger, the “Grande Dame” of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” has been sentenced to one year in prison.
The Wednesday sentencing is the result of a March 19, 2024, drunk driving incident in which the Bravo star crashed her Maserati into a pole in Potomac, Maryland. Police body cam footage that was eventually released from the incident showed the 61-year-old visibly intoxicated, slurring her words and even name-dropping Bravo producer and host Andy Cohen.
Huger was found guilty by a jury on five of the six charges that were filed against her following the accident, including driving under the influence (DUI), failure to control speed, negligent driving and failure to notify authorities of an address change. She was ultimately found not guilty of reckless driving.
The Montgomery County judge responsible for handling the case sentenced Huger to two years in prison with one year suspended. After she has served her time, she will still not be allowed to drive a vehicle for one year and will also be on probation for five. According to a Fox 5 DC reporter who was in attendance for the sentencing, the judge told Huger of her 2024 DUI incident, “You were filled to the gills with alcohol.”
Huger’s team did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Following the jury’s verdict against her, Huger checked herself into a private rehab facility in Florida in January. This resulted in her not being in attendance for the “Real Housewives of Potomac” Season 9 reunion. Huger did, however, record two videos for the reunion.
In one, she addressed her 2024 DUI case and her relationship to alcohol. “I’m not an alcoholic, let’s be clear,” she said at the time. “I accept full responsibility for everything that went on with my car accident. I don’t care about me right now. I care about my children, I care about my family. They are so hurt.”
Despite the Bravo star pledging to be a public advocate against drinking and driving, the judge overseeing Huger’s case pointed to three other documented incidents involving her driving while impaired and under the influence as further reason to have her serve time now. Rather than sentence her to the six months state prosecutors were vying for, the judge sentenced her to double that.
Huger has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision and 90 days to request that he reconsider his sentence.
