Vito Fossella, the former GOP congressman from Staten Island, NY, has pleaded guilty to DUI charges, the Associated Press reports — and according to his lawyer, the decision was prompted in part by the death of a Major League Baseball player last week.
Fossella was arrested May 1, 2008, and charged with driving while drunk. The arrest led to revelations that he had fathered a child as part of an extra-marital affair. He served out his term, but did not run for reelection this fall. He was convicted in October, but was appealing his conviction.
The disgraced lawmaker will serve a four-day jail sentence, over two weekends.
Last Thursday, Nick Adenhart, a 22-year old pitcher with the Los Angeles (really Anaheim) Angels, was killed when his car was hit by a suspected drunk driver. The incident “certainly highlighted again for Mr. Fossella and I think for the public the dangers of drinking and driving,” said Fossella’s lawyer, Barry Pollack.
Pollack continued:
With that in the news, Mr. Fossella thought it particularly appropriate for him to acknowledge his own wrongdoing and not to fight over the issue of the accuracy of the reading in this particular case. The fact of the matter is, he had something to drink.