"Real Housewives of Potomac" star sentenced to a year in prison for DUI crash

Real Housewives of Potomac star Karen Huger was sentenced to one year in jail Wednesday for a drunk-driving arrest in March 2024, according to the Baltimore Banner.

In December, Huger was convicted of seven charges related to her DUI after she crashed her car in Montgomery County. She was acquitted of reckless driving but found guilty of negligent driving, failure to control her speed to avoid a collision and other charges, court records show. 

The 61-year-old has faced three traffic cases between 2006 and 2011. 

"The defendant's four drunk driving offenses have spanned a 17-year period," Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence J. McGann told the Banner. "Can we believe that she's only driven while intoxicated four times in the last 17 years, or is it more likely that she's been very lucky and her inebriation has gone undetected?"

Huger was also ordered to pay more than $2,000 in fines and is prohibited from driving her car for a year after she is released from jail. 

According to the Baltimore Banner, video footage taken inside the police station at the time of Huger's arrest show her refusing to take a breathalyzer and captured her saying, "Oh God, I'm lit."

"The body cameras definitely prove that they were right and I was wrong," Huger said at her sentencing. "I should've handled the situation differently."

The Banner reported that Huger's defense attorney said she was "at peace" with the ruling. 

Huger has 30 days to file an appeal. 

"Real Housewives" stars face legal trouble

Huger is not the first "Real Housewives" star to face legal trouble in Maryland. 

In December, former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star and businessman Peter Thomas was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for failing to pay more than $2.5 million in employment taxes. 

Thomas owned several bars in Baltimore and Miami, Florida, including Bar One Baltimore. 

According to court documents, between 2017 and 2023, Thomas's businesses failed to pay more than $2.5 million in employment taxes.

Court records show he instead used the funds to make cash withdrawals, make real estate and travel purchases totaling $370,000 and make retail purchases from luxury stores totaling more than $250,000. 

He is known for his appearances on the Bravo show alongside his ex-wife, Cynthia Bailey. 

In 2023, he was found not guilty of attacking a customer at his Harbor East restaurant, the Baltimore Banner reported.