Broward Judge Cynthia Imperato charged with DUI

Imperato arrested in Boca Raton

BOCA RATON, Fla. – A Broward County judge has been arrested on charges of driving under the influence.

Boca Raton police arrested Cynthia Imperato after she was pulled over late Tuesday on West Palmetto Park Road. On Wednesday afternoon, police released a 911 call made by another driver who saw Imperato.

"He's all over the road, he nearly sideswiped me twice. He's got to be drunk," said the caller, adding that he wasn't sure if it was a man or woman behind the wheel. "He's really dangerous."

Imperato, 56, told officers she was weaving because she was trying to use her phone, police say. They reported she had red, glassy eyes, a flush face, and slurred speech.

Imperato refused a breathalyzer test and was charged with DUI. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail at 1:38 a.m. and released just after 7 a.m.

At her Fort Lauderdale home, her nanny said Imperato was sleeping and wouldn't come to the door.

Imperato, a criminal court judge in Broward County, was appointed to the bench in Jan. 2003 by Governor Jeb Bush. Before that, she served as a senior assistant statewide prosecutor for thirteen years.

The Broward Circuit Court issued no statement on her arrest.