Cops spotted him with his headlights off and weaving in and out of the oncoming traffic lane on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope at around 1 a.m., authorities said.
When officers pulled him over, Ventimiglia was unsteady on his feet, his eyes were bloodshot and he reeked of alcohol, according to the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said the star had a blood-alcohol content of .12. The legal limit is .08.
The boozed-up actor also had a zip-lock bag with cocaine residue in his back pocket, cops said.
Ventimiglia, 42, was arraigned at Brooklyn Criminal Court yesterday on charges of DWI, reckless driving, operating outside the lane, operating without headlights and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
He was released on his own recognizance.
Sources said Ventimiglia later maintained he had a couple of glasses of wine at a Long Island City art gallery opening. The actor claimed he had found a parking spot near his Park Slope apartment and had turned off his lights as he tried to pull in.
He said he couldn't park the car properly, so he drove around the block to look for another spot with his headlights turned off. That's when, he claimed, police picked him up.
Ventimiglia is the latest of a slew of the mobster serial's stars to find himself on the wrong side of the law.
Lillo Brancato Jr., who played Matt Bevilaqua, was charged with murder after he and an accomplice gunned down a cop after he interrupted them robbing a home for drugs.
Tony Sirico, who plays Paulie Walnuts, was arrested 28 times before becoming an actor.
Robert Iler, who plays Anthony Soprano Jr., pleaded guilty to misdemeanor larceny in April 2002 after cops arrested him and three other teens for stealing $40 from two victims on a Manhattan street.
Vincent Pastore, who played Sal "Big Pussy" Bompensiero in the show, pleaded guilty to punching his former girlfriend last April and was sentenced to 70 hours of community service.
Artie drives a Jetta? That's sad. I guess Gandolfini and Imperioli get the big bucks.
ReplyDelete