Justin Timberlake expected to plead guilty to ‘impaired driving’ in New York

Justin Timberlake is expected to plead guilty to a traffic offence later, resolving the criminal case stemming from his June arrest in New York’s Hamptons on a drunken driving charge.

The boy band singer-turned-solo star and actor will appear in Sag Harbor Village Court to formally enter a new plea, prosecutors said.

Details of the agreement with prosecutors were not disclosed, but a person with knowledge of the deal said Timberlake has agreed to admit guilt to a lesser offence of “ driving while ability impaired”, a traffic violation that carries a 300-500 dollars fine and a 90-day licence suspension.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly about the deal until it was approved by a judge.

The pop star originally pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanour charge of driving while intoxicated and had his driver’s licence suspended during a hearing last month.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment ahead of the hearing, as did Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke.

Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, a little after midnight on June 18 after police said he ran a stop sign in the village centre, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol.

Police in court filings also said the 43-year-old Tennessee native’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and that he had “slowed speech”, was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly on all sobriety tests.

Timberlake told the officer he had had one martini and was following some friends home, police said.

Sag Harbor is a one-time whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby-Dick that is nestled amid the Hamptons, an area of seaside communities around 100 miles east of New York City.

Timberlake’s licence suspension in New York likely affects his ability to drive in other states, a legal expert said this week.

Refusing a breathalyzer test, as Timberlake did during his arrest, triggers an automatic suspension of one’s licence under New York state law, which should then be enforced in other states, according to Kenneth Gober, a managing partner at the law firm Lee, Gober & Reyna in Austin, Texas.

“Most states participate in the interstate Driver’s Licence Compact, an agreement to share information about licence suspensions and traffic violations,” he explained in an email.

“If a licence is suspended in one state it should be suspended in all states.”

In practice, though, it can take a long time for such changes to be reflected across state lines, Mr Gober acknowledged. The pop star also has the resources to easily arrange for a driver and does not need a car to drive to do his job, he added.

Timberlake’s agent and other representatives did not respond to emails seeking comment this week.

The 10-time Grammy winner has not publicly addressed the arrest but seemed to acknowledge it during a performance in Chicago just days later.

“It’s been a tough week,” he told the audience during the June 21 show at the United Centre. “But you’re here, and I’m here. Nothing can change this moment right now.”

Timberlake has been on tour for months in support of his latest album. He returns to the New York City area in the coming weeks with concerts in Newark, New Jersey; and Brooklyn.