JQC recommends punishment for Judge Cynthia Imperato

Imperato to pay $5,000 fine, will be suspended 20 days without pay

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Judicial Qualifications Commission has recommended a Broward County judge convicted of DUI and reckless driving be suspended for 20 days without pay.

Judge Cynthia Imperato must also pay a $5,000 fine and undergo an alcohol evaluation with the "completion of any recommended treatment pursuant to a contract with Florida Lawyers Assistance Program."

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READ: Findings and recommendation of discipline

Despite Imperato's two DUI convictions in Florida, the first in 1988, the investigative panel said her actions have not changed the good job that she's done in the courtroom.

"The Investigative Panel finds that Judge Imperato's two DUI cases occurring 25 years apart have never affected her performance as a judge," the commission wrote. "To the contrary, Judge Imperato is held in high esteem by her colleagues and the legal community."

Still, Imperato must also face the criminal consequences of her actions. In December, the judge was sentenced to 20 days of house arrest, a year of probation, ordered to pay court costs, perform 150 hours of community service and attend DUI school.

She will also lose her driving privileges and be prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol or drugs, for which she will be subject to random testing.

READ: Notice of formal charges

Imperato was arrested on a DUI charge in Boca Raton in November 2013.

She refused to submit to a Breathalyzer or field sobriety test, so there was no physical evidence to prove she was intoxicated at the time of her arrest.

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About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.