Luann de Lesseps, a cast member of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City, was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, in the early hours of December 24, 2017, after a drunken encounter with hotel security and police at the Colony Hotel. She was initially charged with three felonies and two lesser counts, took a plea deal that reduced everything to misdemeanors, served no jail time, and completed probation in August 2019 after one violation along the way.
What Happened at the Colony Hotel
De Lesseps, then 52, was registered in Room 327 at the Colony Hotel on the night of December 23, 2017, but was found in Room 407 with an unidentified man she had previously dated.1People. Luann de Lesseps Found in Wrong Hotel Room With Ex A hotel security guard discovered the pair in bed while a maid was performing turn-down service.2The Cut. RHONY Luann de Lesseps Arrest Hotel Trespassing
The guard spent roughly five minutes trying to get them to leave. When they refused, hotel security called the police, and two officers arrived around 9:20 p.m.2The Cut. RHONY Luann de Lesseps Arrest Hotel Trespassing A friend who was also present, Julie Olson, agreed to leave. De Lesseps locked herself in the bathroom. When the security guard tried to open the door with a key, she allegedly shoved Officer Steven O’Leary in the chest and slammed the door into his face, leaving a visible red mark on his forehead.3CBS 12. New Photo Shows Officers Injury in Reality TV Star Case
Arrest footage later released publicly showed her handcuffed in a patrol car, twisting out of the restraints at one point and screaming at officers.4CBS News. Real Housewives Star Arrest Video Police reported that she threatened Officer Robert Mastrangelo in custody, saying “I’m going to kill you” and claiming she would have the officers killed and would ruin their careers with false misconduct accusations.3CBS 12. New Photo Shows Officers Injury in Reality TV Star Case She was booked into Palm Beach County jail at 1:25 a.m. and released on her own recognizance.5ABC News. Real Housewives Star Luann de Lesseps Arrested in Palm Beach
The Charges
Prosecutors filed five counts:
- Battery on a law enforcement officer (felony)
- Resisting arrest with violence (felony)
- Trespass of an occupied structure (felony)
- Disorderly intoxication (misdemeanor)
- Corruption by threat, also described in some filings as threatening a public servant
She pleaded not guilty to all charges on December 29, 2017.6Palm Beach Post. Real Housewives Star Formally Charged The most serious count, resisting an officer with violence, carried up to five years in prison.
The Plea Deal and Sentence
After initially rejecting a plea offer in early 2018, de Lesseps changed course that May, when her attorney, Douglas Duncan of the West Palm Beach firm Roth and Duncan, told the court she would accept a deal.7Newsday. Luann de Lesseps Plea Deal She signed the agreement on July 3, 2018, pleading guilty to battery, trespassing, and disorderly intoxication, all reduced from the original felonies.8Palm Beach Daily News. Real Housewives Star Strikes Plea Deal A judge formally approved the plea on August 29, 2018.9Newsweek. Judge Grants Luann de Lesseps Plea Deal on Drunken Charges
The sentence included no prison time. Instead, de Lesseps received:
- One year of probation, transferable to New York
- 50 hours of community service, at least 10 hours per month
- Mandatory abstinence from alcohol and illegal drugs, with random testing
- Two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week
- A Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact class
- A written letter of apology to Deputy Steven O’Leary8Palm Beach Daily News. Real Housewives Star Strikes Plea Deal
The Probation Violation
Less than a year in, de Lesseps failed a remote breathalyzer test on April 21, 2019. She told her probation officer she had consumed two mimosas after a performance in Chicago. Probation officers also alleged she had failed to document her required AA attendance, submitting records for only five meetings total.10People. Luann de Lesseps Ordered Into Custody for Alleged Probation Violations
At a hearing on May 23, 2019, in Palm Beach County, she admitted to the violations. The judge first rejected her plea and ordered her remanded to the custody of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. She was handcuffed in court for about two hours before the judge accepted a modified plea and released her.11Palm Beach Post. Real Housewives Luann de Lesseps Handcuffed, Remanded in Probation Violation Hearing
Her probation was reinstated with tighter conditions: weekly phone counseling, monthly in-person meetings with a psychiatrist, mandatory use of a Soberlink breathalyzer monitoring device, Antabuse medication to discourage alcohol use, and $100 in court costs. The judge warned that any further violation would require her to pay her own transport back to Florida.12E! Online. Real Housewives Luann de Lesseps Taken Into Custody for Probation Violation The case was transferred to New York for the remaining months.
When Probation Ended
Probation closed on August 28, 2019. The New York Department of Probation confirmed the case was closed, and Palm Beach County listed the matter as concluded.13ET Online. RHONY Star Luann de Lesseps Reveals She’s Completed Probation
What Happened to the Arresting Officer
Deputy Steven O’Leary, the officer de Lesseps had been ordered to apologize to, was fired from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in January 2019 after field tests revealed that three of his recent narcotics arrests involved substances that did not actually test positive for drugs. Nine inmates were released as a result, and all of his past arrests were placed under review. De Lesseps said her legal team was “looking into the allegations of misconduct” and would “be acting accordingly,” but the revelation did not change the terms or outcome of her case.14People. Luann de Lesseps Is Looking Into Allegations of Misconduct Against Fired Arresting Officer
Rehab and the Aftermath
On the day of her arrest, de Lesseps apologized through her spokesperson, Pete Sanders, attributing the incident to the emotional weight of being back in Palm Beach for the first time since her 2016 wedding to Tom D’Agostino Jr., from whom she had since divorced.15NBC News. Luann de Lesseps, Real Housewives of New York Star, Arrested in Florida Five days later, she announced she would voluntarily check into an alcohol treatment center.16ET Online. Luann de Lesseps Checks Herself Into Alcohol Treatment Center Following Arrest She entered treatment a second time in July 2018, ahead of a RHONY reunion taping.17The Hollywood Reporter. Real Housewives Star Luann de Lesseps Returns to Rehab
Bravo did not suspend her, and she continued appearing on the show through subsequent seasons.18Bravo TV. Luann de Lesseps Details Her Night in Jail After completing probation, she resumed drinking in 2020 and later said she had stepped back again, describing her sobriety as “a day-by-day thing” in May 2021 and continuing to speak about it in those terms through 2023.19Page Six. Luann de Lesseps Hints She Broke Sobriety on RHONY Legacy