The Truth About Buddy Valastro's Legal Battles
Major scandals have plagued the Cake Boss family over the years and one of the most notable involved star Buddy Valastro's legal troubles. As of this writing, the master baker is currently recovering from a "terrible accident" (he shared a shocking hospital pic with fans in September 2020), but he was focused on a different kind of drama back in 2014 when he was arrested by NYPD officers in Manhattan.
As Reuters reported, the New Jersey native was driving his 2014 yellow Corvette near Hudson Yards around 1 a.m. when, according to New York City police officer Adam Navarro, "he was observed by officers swerving through lanes of traffic" between 20th and 32nd streets. Police confirmed that they followed his vehicle for a number of blocks and eventually pulled over the reality TV star and had him exit his car on 10th Avenue. What happened next was even more surprising.
Do you even know who Buddy Valastro is?
The NYPD officers who stopped Buddy Valastro revealed in court (per 4 NBC New York) that once he had stepped out of his Corvette, they saw that "his eyes were bloodshot," his cheeks were "flushed," and he had trouble keeping steady. A Breathalyzer test was soon administered and, according to Page Six, the result was .108 (the legal limit is .08). Prosecutors claimed that Valastro actually admitted to having consumed alcohol before driving — they quoted him saying, "I had a couple of drinks 30, 40 minutes ago" — and it seems he tried to play the fame card to get out of being taken into custody.
As Page Six reported, Valastro allegedly proclaimed, "You can't arrest me, I'm the Cake Boss!" He then continued to plead for his freedom, asking, "Can you just put me in a cab?" and arguing, "You don't have to arrest me. I'm not a bad guy. Is there anything we can do?" Unfortunately for him, his attempts at freedom didn't work, and, as The New York Times noted, he was taken down to the station and spent the rest of the night of Nov. 13 in jail.
Buddy Valastro was 'very disappointed' in his own actions
On Dec. 1, 2014, Buddy Valastro showed up in a Criminal Court in Manhattan to plead guilty to driving while impaired (D.W.I). His sentence, per The New York Times, included a $300 fine, "[suspension of] his license for three months in New York State," and the requirement that he take "a course on drunken driving."
It seems the whole ordeal was enough for the Cake Boss to learn his lesson. Speaking with reporters on his way out of court, Valastro assured, "One is too many and I will never get behind the wheel of a car again if I have a drink, even if I have a sip." He then added some justification for his actions, noting, "I can tell you honestly that when I got in that car I thought I was fine to drive. But I wasn't and I put people in danger." Valastro also shared a similar sentiment on Twitter, telling fans, "I thought I was fine to drive, but I wasn't. I put people in danger. I am very disappointed in myself."
Wait, there's another CakeBoss?
Several years before his D.W.I. arrest, Buddy Valastro was involved in a legal dispute with Masters Software Inc., which accused him and TLC's parent company, Discovery Communications, of having no right to use the Cake Boss name. According to 4 NBC New York, trouble arose in July 2010 when the software company, which launched its bakery business management software, called CakeBoss, in 2007 argued that the show (which debuted in 2009) needed to find another name.
Co-owners Kelley and Jon Masters told a Seattle court that show producers never bothered to check the name's availability and that their website, cakeboss.com, was regularly inundated with requests geared at Cake Boss, including cake orders. The law appeared to be on the couple's side and a judge went as far as to forbid Valastro and Discovery from using the name while the dispute was ongoing, but soon, all was settled. In October 2010, Masters Software's attorney, K.D. Long, revealed (via NJ.com) that "the parties have agreed to resolve the matter amicably and in a confidential settlement agreement."
Trouble with the law has plagued other Cake Boss stars
Buddy Valastro isn't the only member of the Cake Boss family who's courted legal trouble. In August 2010, Remegio "Remy" Gonzalez was arrested in Morris County, N.J. and hit with a slew of sexual assault charges for allegedly assaulting a teen on numerous occasions in both East Hanover and Florham Park. Gonzalez, who was once married to Valastro's sister, Lisa, and appeared on 42 episodes of the show between 2009 and 2010, was then placed in Morris County jail after failing to come up with $300,000 bail.
Two years later, in May 2012, Gonzalez faced a Morris County Court to receive a nine-year prison sentence for assaulting his victim (who was revealed to be a 13-year-old girl) between July 2009 and March 2010. Speaking to the court, Gonzalez said, "I want to apologize to the victim. I truly am sorry for all the pain and all the embarrassment I caused." According to NJ.com, Gonzalez was told he would have to spend at least seven years and seven months behind bars (or 85% of his sentence) before he'd be eligible to apply for parole. That would bring him to 2019 and it's unclear if he's chosen to do so. If he has, the outlet reports that it would be "virtually certain" that he would be deported to his native Mexico.