90 Day Fiance as a franchise is no stranger to cast members being arrested.
A lot of the arrests are over minor things — like driving violations. Some are older arrests, especially among older cast members.
In some cases, the charges were truly victimless.
However, that was not the case with everyone.
Out of the hundreds of people who have appeared on screen, a handful have not only committed unspeakably vile crimes, but been convicted.
On this list that we’ve put together, you’ll find an array of cases … including a sexual predator, a fugitive from justice accused of murder, an unapologetic domestic abuser, and more.
1.
Scottie Deem
Angela Deem’s daughter — not Skyla, but Scottie — appeared during her first season of Before The 90 Days before Angela flew to Nigeria. Scottie was also indicted on 11 counts of child molestation and one count of statutory rape, sex crimes committed against a minor boy. Apparently, the sexual predation took place in Angela’s home.
2.
Scottie entered a guilty plea
After she pleaded guilty to a small number of the charges, she was sentenced to three 20-year sentences to be served concurrently. In a glaring indictment of how our justice system fails to protect or seek justice for children, she only served two of those years, being released in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
3.
Michael Baltimore
Remember when Ashley Martson found out that Jay Smith, her then-husband, had cheated on her (again?). That’s pretty vague, since it happened so many times during their toxic, baffling marriage. So we’ll get specific — the time when she went to the barbershop on camera to learn that Jay had taken a random girl into the bathroom and boned her. Well, one of the men in the barbershop is now dead. The other, Michael Baltimore, is a fugitive from justice and law enforcement believes him to be dangerous. Multiple eyewitnesses identified him as Kendell Cook’s shooter, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture.
4.
Geoffrey Paschel
This disgraced former Before The 90 Days star has a long, long history of both arrests and of accusations of horrific domestic violence. Most of us are keenly aware of how rarely these evil acts actually lead to prosecution, convictions, or real prison time. For Geoffrey, however, that changed after he attacked and brutally beat his then-fiance, an elementary school teacher named Kristen Wilson, in June of 2019 — just months before filming for the show with Varya and with Mary.
5.
The trial was delayed again and again
In October 2021, with the presentation of ample physical evidence and the heroic testimony provided by Kristen — whose face had thankfully recovered from the vicious beating that he gave her when he attacked and held her captive in her own home — Geoffrey was found guilty by a jury of his peers.
6.
His sentence was rare and fitting
An attempt by Geoffrey to manipulate his victim into seeking leniency at sentencing, testimony by another ex of Geoffrey, and the judge’s own common sense all played a role in sentencing, where the court acknowledged that Geoffrey is a violent and manipulative man who will go on to terrorize other women as soon as he is able. He is now just months into his 18-year prison sentence.
7.
Douglas “DJ Doug” Wooten
Another person to have appeared alongside Angela Deem, DJ Doug was a venue coordinator … who took part in a home invasion in which he shot and killed a man while the man’s wife was held at gunpoint. Not all of his codefendants have been found guilty yet, but DJ Doug entered a plea deal … one that resulted in a life sentence.
8.
Jay Smith
In 2019, Jay Smith spent the majority of July behind bars after flagrantly (and almost immediately) violating a PFA (protection from abuse) order imposed by the court. Still legally married to Ashley Martson, he was enjoined from approaching her, approaching her home, or discussing the order. He ended up bringing it up on social media, resulting in his arrest and detention until he was bailed out by his employer, the owner of a tattoo shop.
9.
This is a weird case
Ashley had already broken up with him (more than once, actually) before this, in part over his cheating. There were leaked accusations of abuse. He also allegedly broke into her home while she was on vacation in order to remove things that he wanted from her house. All of this came before the PFA and violation thereof. But … a couple of months after that, they reconciled and secretly got back together, even after Jay had spent weeks or even months partying with his former mistress. This was not their last breakup or reconciliation. It’s a complicated nightmare with some very serious allegations … plus a whole lot of cheating.
10.
Paul Staehle
Paul is a bit of a special case, not only because both he and Karine have been embroiled in so many accusations during their toxic marriage, but also because his conviction dates back to many years before he filmed for the show. While Paul was accused of scary behavior by more than one ex, he most famously committed arson for insurance fraud purposes. The accusation was leveled back in 2007, and he actually served a short time behind bars as a result. Frankly, his “relationship issues” are more alarming, but we’d be remiss for not even mentioning it.
11.
Less seriously: Chuck Potthast, others
Not to pick on Chuck (genuinely enjoy the guy on the show and on social media), but he, multiple members of his family, and a slew of other 90 Day Fiance cast members have mugshots floating around due to driving-related incidents, especially DUIs. Driving under the influence can be extremely dangerous, but we all know that it doesn’t compare to a sexual predator like Scottie Deem or a domestic abuser like Geoffrey Paschel. It rarely even changes how we view the person. There are a few other less serious cases that deserve honorable mentions.
12.
Larissa Lima
On January 10, 2019, Larissa and Colt Johnson had the final fight of their marriage, followed by Larissa’s arrest, having allegedly scratched Colt’s lip before fleeing the house. Her attorney got the battery charge dropped to disorderly conduct, and she did community service and attended domestic violence prevention classes long after she and Colt divorced. But … things weren’t as simple as they first appeared.
13.
This was her third arrest
Larissa was only married for seven months. On the one hand, it sounds horrifying to imagine someone being arrested so many times, each time on accusations of domestic violence, let alone in such a short time. But Larissa has not been accused of or arrested for this before or since her marriage to Colt, her first two arrests led to dropped charges, and the second arrest — which took place in November of 2018 — was well-documented. Larissa and Colt had been fighting that day. Larissa later locked herself in the bathroom, and Colt disconnected her phone (he would later say that this was an effort to “calm” her), resulting in Larissa frantically sending out messages asking for help on Instagram, reporting that she was scared. Someone called the police on her behalf … but whatever Colt said when police busted down the door, Larissa ended up the one taken away in handcuffs. Some cases are cut and dry. The saga of their toxic marriage was not.
14.
Jorge Nava
Jorga Nava very famously was arrested with a massive amount of marijuana in his car. Perfectly legal in California, highly illegal under Arizona’s prohibition laws at the time — and he had crossed into Arizona. Jorge spent nearly two years behind bars, and was released in May of 2020, having lost a great deal of weight. His toxic marriage was over, but he has since moved on with his new lady love and become a father. Jorge may have committed a crime by possessing a “naughty plant” in the wrong geography, but he wasn’t doing anything wrong. There was no victim. That matters.
15.
Ben Rathbun
While his season of Before The 90 Days was airing in 2022, Ben was arrested. It turned out that this was due to missing a parole violation hearing (apparently he didn’t notify the court of his new address) which resulted in a bench warrant, and he turned himself in. The parole stemmed from a years-old charge of driving under the influence, but that, Ben explained, was the result of his drink being spiked, he believed by a homeless person who may have wished to rob him. Not everyone believes Ben’s story — once again, it seems that his explanations never include things being his own fault — but it doesn’t sound like he was bar-hopping and plowed through a stop sign, either.
