The Real Reason Leah McSweeney Got Arrested

New kid on the "Real Housewives of New York" block, Leah McSweeney, made quite the splash when she joined the rest of the cast for Season 12. Most would agree that there was no shortage of drama when it came to the youngest cast member. After all, with a tagline like, "I'll say sorry for what I've done but never for who I am," one can only assume Leah came out of the proverbial Housewives gate swinging. Later she made good on that tagline when taking on RHONY veteran Ramona Singer, a.k.a. "Singer Stinger," during many intense on-camera confrontations.

Perhaps most shocking, however, was her on-air confession about being arrested and later using the settlement money that she won from suing the New York Police Department to start her own business, a clothing line aptly named Married to the Mob.

So what's the real story behind Leah's arrest and infamous mugshot? And how much money did she win after suing the NYPD? Keep reading after the jump to find out all of the deets!

Leah McSweeney says there was a 'silver lining' to her arrest

According to reality star Leah Mc Sweeney, the debacle ensued after spending the evening at a concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. After the concert was over, she and a man whom she was interested in at the time, along with many of the other concertgoers, took the party out onto the street. It's reported that while in the midst of a heavy makeout sesh, the NYPD arrived on the scene to the clear the crowds. 

"I felt him being pulled away from me, and there was five police officers beating him up," Leah recounted in an interview with People. "It was really scary. And I had a half-empty plastic water bottle with me and I threw it — not even directly at someone, just threw it in that direction. It was just a total knee-jerk reaction. But it hit a cop in the back." Throwing a drink? That's Housewives etiquette 101, no?

Per Leah, the cop immediately struck her in the face. "I fell onto the sidewalk, and suddenly I had four cops on my back, cuffing me. I just felt so many knees on my back. And one of them slammed my face into the subway grates and knocked my tooth out," she continued.

Eventually, Leah sued the NYPD and walked away $75,000 richer — money she promptly invested in her fashion line. "That was the silver lining," Leah said. "I'm really proud of my business and how far we've come."