Paul Pelosi

Paul Francis Pelosi Sr. (born April 15, 1940) is an American businessman who owns and operates Financial Leasing Services, Inc., a San Francisco-based real estate and venture capital investment and consulting firm. He was the owner of the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. He is married to the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.

Early life

Pelosi was born and raised in San Francisco, the youngest in a family of three boys. His father was John Pelosi, a wholesale druggist. He attended St. Ignatius High School and graduated from Malvern Preparatory School in Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor of science (BS) in foreign service at Georgetown University, during which he met his future wife, Nancy D'Alesandro, who was attending a Roman Catholic women's college, Trinity College, in Washington, D.C. He earned an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. He has been the chair of the Foreign Service Board at Georgetown since 2009.

Career

Pelosi founded and runs the venture capital firm Financial Leasing Services, Inc., through which he and his wife have a personal fortune of about $114 million.

Having previously invested in the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League, he purchased the California Redwoods, a franchise in the United Football League, for $12 million in 2009. The Redwoods later moved to Sacramento to become the Sacramento Mountain Lions.

Pelosi's success in stock trading attracted media attention in summer 2021, leading to efforts to strictly control individual stock ownership by members of Congress.

Personal life

Pelosi married Nancy Pelosi (née D'Alesandro), on September 7, 1963, at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore, Maryland. They have five children including Christine and Alexandra. Nancy became the 52nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007.

Legal issues

In May 2022, Paul Pelosi was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Napa County after he crashed into another at an intersection. Pelosi pled guilty in August 2022 and was sentenced to serving five days in jail, paying $6,800 in fines and restitution, completing a DUI program, as well as three years of probation. The incident renewed attention on a car crash that Pelosi had while he was driving as a minor in 1957. His older brother died in the crash; Pelosi was subsequently acquitted of misdemeanor manslaughter.

2022 attack

In the early hours of October 28, 2022, an assailant broke into Pelosi's San Francisco home screaming "Where's Nancy?" repeatedly, and subsequently attacked Pelosi with a hammer. The suspect was taken into police custody, while Pelosi was hospitalized with blunt force injuries, and expected to make a full recovery. Pelosi underwent skull surgery after the attack. The assailant demanded to see Nancy Pelosi while entering the house, though she was in Washington, D.C. at the time of the attack. The motive of the suspect remains unknown. David DePape, 42, was later identified as a suspect and was charged with attempted homicide.