Another "Sopranos" actor arrested in New York
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actor John Ventimiglia, who plays troubled chef Artie Bucco on the TV show "The Sopranos," has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and cocaine possession in Brooklyn, authorities said on Tuesday.
He was at least the fourth cast member of HBO show about a New Jersey mob family, now in its sixth season, to be arrested in the past year.
Ventimiglia pleaded not guilty following his arrest early on Monday morning and was released on his own recognizance, a spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorney's office said.
A police officer pulled over Ventimiglia's Volkswagen Jetta after the car swerved out of its lane with the headlights out, the charge sheet says. Ventimiglia spoke with slurred speech, had red watery eyes and smelled of alcohol, the officer said.
Tests showed a blood alcohol level of 0.12 percent -- above the legal limit of 0.08 percent -- and Ventimiglia was carrying a small plastic bag with the residue of a white powder believed to be cocaine, police said.
"John feels terrible and embarrassed. Until we gather all the information we will have no further comment," his lawyer, Benjamin Petrofsky, said in a statement.
Ventimiglia's character Artie Bucco is having problems on the show. His restaurant is losing business to a new competitor and lead character Tony Soprano has told Bucco he annoys customers with his long-winded ramblings.
In November Vincent Pastore, who played "Big Pussy" in the first two years of the show, pleaded guilty to attempted assault on his girlfriend and was sentenced to community service and to undergo therapy for anger management.
In December, police arrested Lillo Brancato, who played an aspiring mobster, on suspicion of carrying out a burglary in which a police officer was shot and killed. And on Sunday Louis Gross, who plays bodyguard Perry Annunziata, was arrested on charges he broke into a New York home.
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Robert Iler, who plays Tony Soprano's son A.J., pleaded guilty to robbery charges and received three years probation.
... and she's even in Snakes On A Plane. What more could you ask of a woman?
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