‘RHOP’ Star Karen Huger Sentenced to Prison in DUI Case and Faces 5 Years of Probation

Those of us who keep our ears pressed to the Bravo streets knew Season 9 of The Real Housewives of Potomac would be a tough one for one of its OGs, Karen Huger. During the season, the Grande Dame faced her co-stars' opinions soon after her March 2024 DUI and DWI arrest went public.

Since her arrest, Karen faced six charges tied to her accident, and bodycam footage of her being intoxicated and slurring her words surfaced. In December 2024, she was found guilty of five of her six charges, excluding reckless driving. Now, a judge has ruled that Karen will serve prison time.

Here's what to know about the Bravolebrity's DUI sentencing.

On Feb. 26, 2025, Karen was sentenced for her DUI in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Maryland. Podcast host @weigopodcast was the first to report on X (formerly Twitter) that the Grande Dame was sentenced to one year in prison, plus one year suspended. According to Cornell University's Law School, a suspended sentence means a judge shortens the sentence so the person arrested can serve their sentence outside of prison through probation or rehabilitaition.

"Judge has sentenced Karen for two years with one year suspended!!!" the podcast host wrote.

@weigopodcast also reported that the RHOP star spoke to her husband, Ray Huger, before she was taken into custody. Karen reportedly consoled her husband by yelling to him, "Love you Ray. GOD’s got you. You’ll be alright. GOD bless you."

Karen could also face up to five years of probation and can repeal her case in 30 days. The reality star's sentencing came nearly a year after her March 19 incident, where she crashed her Maserati after attending dinner with a friend, she was charged with a DUI and DWI, negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.

During her trial, Karen fired her original legal counsel and hired attorneys David A. Martella and Barry Helfand for the remainder of her legal proceedings. Days before her sentencing, she further explained in a court motion that her behavior on the night of her DUI arrest was caused by taking prescription anti-depressants while drinking. Karen said she drank and used her pills before during social settings, but admitted it became beyond her control after her parents Georgia and Benjamin Wooden, died one year apart.

"Ms. Huger's mother died on Thanksgiving morning in 2017 of kidney failure and sepsis," the February 2025 motion said, per InTouch. "Her father died seven months later on June 28, 2018 from the complications of Alzheimer's and 'of a broken heart.' Those two losses, in quick succession, were for Ms. Huger, personally devastating and, in her opinion, may have been the straws that broke her back, arguably leading to several errors in judgment that led to her arrest in this case.”

Karen was acquitted for reckless driving after the case ended. Her attorney, A. Scott Bolden, said in a statement that she was "disappointed" by the verdict but will comply with the jury's decision and were planning to appeal it in the future.

“Although we are disappointed in the jury’s verdict, we of course respect their decision and appreciate their time hearing our case," he said. "We continue to reserve Mrs. Huger’s right to an appeal and intend to fully pursue justice on her behalf. We appreciate your support and prayers for Mrs. Huger and her family at this time.”

After Karen's DUI arrest, she quickly returned to RHOP to film Season 9. As filming commenced, so did her legal team's attempt to have her DUI case thrown out in court.

People reported in October 2024 that Karen filed a motion on July 11, 2024, to "suppress statements and evidence from her DUI arrest, arguing that she incriminated herself during a custodial interrogation without having been read her Miranda rights."

She also stated in the motion that "the evidence seized in this case was obtained as a result of an illegal search and seizure.”

“The defendant was told she was not free to leave,” the motion read. “She was not read her Miranda warnings, indicating that the information she would provide them would be used in the filing of criminal charges against her.”

While Karen hasn't been sentenced for her DUI arrest yet, she was charged with several offenses during her arrest, including reckless driving, driving while under the influence, driving while impaired by alcohol, driving with a suspended registration, and failure to notify the administration of a change to her address within 30 days. However, months after her arrest, Karen requested to have the case removed.

On July 25, several days after Karen's initial motion, her request was denied. The judge stated that, due to a previous Supreme Court ruling, her “roadside investigation” did not require her to be read Miranda rights.

“The defendant’s statements were not obtained as a result of a custodial interrogation because some of her statements were made while Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel were treating the defendant for potential injuries,” the opposition stated. “The defendant’s statements made during this time were free and voluntary and were stated out loud while in the presence of police officers.”

The statement continued: “Additionally, statements made after the defendant was examined by EMS personnel were not obtained as a result of a custodial interrogation because the defendant’s subsequent statements were made while the defendant was temporarily detained pursuant to a traffic stop,” it added. "The defendant’s statements should not be suppressed, and the Defendant’s Motion to Suppress should be denied."

The opposition also included a description of what allegedly happened the night of Karen's arrest. The filing stated that, when police pulled Karen over, they found two beers in her Maserati, which they found off the road in a grassy area with its airbags deployed. The filing also alleged that the reality star was "unsteady on her feet, swaying, stumbling, and slurring her speech" at the scene and stated the car smelled of alcohol.

While Karen hasn't addressed the details in the opposition publicly, she has admitted multiple times that the DUI wasn't her finest moment. In an October 2024 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, she told host Andy Cohen that seeing her DUI arrest through the show's dramatization of the accident was "so painful," mainly because everything (besides the deer Bravo used to insinuate she hit a deer during the accident falsely) was "eerily close."

She also said she was upset seeing how her co-stars reacted to the arrest and said Ashley Darby, who mentioned the DUI was Karen's second, had no room to talk.

"I mean, you know I care for these women and all I wanted them to do was be patient and wait because it's an ongoing case," the Grande Dame explained. "But you know Ashley saying what she said — and let's be clear, Ashley needs to be concerned about her relationship with alcohol the way she sucks down the Coronas. I'm just saying."

Watch The Real Housewives of Potomac on Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.