Joe Biden's Niece Avoids Jail Time After Pleading Guilty to 2019 DUI Charge
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Joe Biden's niece Caroline Biden was sentenced this month in a intoxicated-driving crash from last year, PEOPLE confirms.
Caroline, the 33-year-old daughter of the president-elect's brother James, received probation in lieu of jail time after pleading guilty to driving under the influence in Pennsylvania, according to court records.
She reached a plea deal with the Montgomery County District Attorney and was given five months of probation, with 20 days in rehab counting toward her sentence.
In addition, Caroline has to pay $1,990 in fines and legal costs and participate in 12 hours of community service. Her license was suspended for a year and she will be compelled to participate in a drug and alcohol awareness program, court records show.
Caroline's attorney, John McMahon, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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According to The Independent, Caroline was arrested in August 2019 after she crashed her car into a tree in Lower Merion Township.
Caroline, who was driving without her license, "had difficulty focusing on the conversation," arresting officer Jeffrey Seamans said, The Independent reported at the time.
Her car also contained pill bottles for carisoprodol and lorazepam, both of which are controlled substances. A blood test later showed that they were in Caroline's system at the time of the crash, according to The Independent.
This is not Caroline's first run-in with the law.
In 2018, she received two years of probation after pleading guilty to running a $110K credit card scam.
According to Page Six and CBS News, Caroline used a borrowed credit card to open an account at the upscale C.O. Bigelow pharmacy in New York City. Over the course of one year, Caroline spent $110,000 without the cardholder’s knowledge.
As part of her plea deal, Caroline’s charge of felony larceny was thrown out and she was allowed to plead to a lesser charge of petit larceny, reported Page Six reported, which added that Caroline had also completed 10 days of community service at a children’s hospital and repaid the stolen money in full, which came out to $110,810.04.
She also previously got into legal trouble in 2013, when she was arrested on charges of obstructing governmental administration, harassment and resisting arrest after allegedly striking a male N.Y.C. police officer, CBS News reported.
