If he takes a plea bargain, he’ll probably escape jail time and will get away with paying a fine that would strain the pockets of an average person but would be nothing to him, and some community service.
If he pleads not guilty and the case goes to trial, it’s a guaranteed guilty verdict. The police have sufficient evidence for a conviction, no matter how good his lawyers are, and this is partly thanks to Bieber himself. Rather than using his right to remain silent and waiting until his lawyer arrived before talking, he opened his mouth and outright admitted criminal behavior to the cops. That sealed his fate, if nothing else did. If it goes to trial and he’s found guilty, he could wind up doing a short stint in prison, in addition to the fine and community service.
Either way, regardless of what he pleads, there is now a very realistic chance that his work visa will be revoked and that he’ll be banned from the USA. Keep in mind that if any normal person in a foreign country on a work visa committed a criminal offense, deportation would be a virtual guarantee.
If Justin Bieber’s work visa is revoked and he is banned from the USA, this means that his career is probably over. The US accounts for a large percentage of his income and fan base, in fact probably most of it, and his manager and record label are American.
It’s pretty rare anywhere in the US for first offense non-violent dumbassery where nobody gets hurt to result in anything but the most modest of jail terms (e.g. 24-72 hours).
what is with people now days that post pucture of them self drinking or doing drugs and get in car and drive off.Do they not know it is no different than calling 911 and saying I have been drinking or doing drugs and now driving !! Talk to any attorney they will say do not set you self up.
Cops don’t just sit by the radio all day they check the internet too.
That was before Lennon got his green card. I was told by an INS officer that deportation proceedings couldn’t be begun for an I-551 holder except for a very limited number of federal crimes.
And that was almost certainly more political than drug-related at the bottom of it. I doubt the current president has as much interest in getting rid of Justin Bieber as Nixon did in getting rid of John Lennon (although I suppose Obama’s daughters are still at ages where he might have a motive).
His lawyer will almost certainly ensure that he comes out of this with no more than a fine and perhaps community service. Rehab would probably be an excellent thing for him, but this incident alone isn’t likely to trigger it.
Canada’s laws on impaired driving are much stricter than the US. Foreigners with DUIs who’ve served over a couple of days of jail time can’t even enter Canada without going through long involved procedures to get waivers. I wonder if Bieber will have any repercussions back home from this.
You might be be surprised what qualifies. And you might be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) at how little many INS (now USCIS) officers know about the law.
