A Boston attorney who spends his days representing defendants charged with operating under the influence was arraigned today, accused of drunkenly operating a boat during an accident that resulted in a 19-year-old woman’s arm being cut off by the vessel’s propeller.

Urbelis, wearing a Beat L.A. T-shirt and swim trunks, is arraigned at Boston Municipal Court. —Ted Fitzgerald/Pool

Benjamin Urbelis, 33, of Charlestown, was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges of “operating a boat while under the influence causing serious bodily injury, negligent operation of a boat, and operating a motorboat without a legally required identification number,’’ according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Reporters in the courtroom noted that Urbelis was arraigned while still wearing swim trunks.


He pleaded not guilty.

Urbelis was held on $75,000 bail and ordered to surrender his passport. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to The Boston Globe, the incident took place in Boston Harbor on Saturday night when a female passenger aboard the 29-foot boat – named the “Naut Guilty’’ – fell overboard.

The 29-foot “Naut Guilty’’ —Facebook

“As she tried to get back on the boat, her arm became caught in the propeller … Thirteen people were on board when the woman fell overboard near Spectacle Island,’’ The Globe reported.

Firefighters were unable to retrieve the woman’s severed arm, according to The Globe.

The website for Urbelis Law LLC describes Urbelis’ significant experience representing clients charged with operating under the influence.

According to the site, Urbelis is part owner of Julep Bar, located in Boston’s Financial District, as well as a founder of Top Shelf Entertainment.