Warning: This article discusses incidents of and issues surrounding domestic assault and drug abuse.
This March, Ben Rathbun joined the pantheon of 90 Day Fiancé stars who have had run-ins with the law. While Rathbun was arrested for violating probation from a former drunk driving charge, the other c0ntestants have been arrested and even convicted for crimes ranging from assault to arson to possession of drugs.
While some of their cases are pending, other cases are closed even though that wouldn’t change these notorious contestants’ criminal records. But which of the show’s many participants have been arrested most frequently?
Darcey And Stacey Silva – 1
Darcey Silva is one of the 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days cast members who had run-ins with the law. Her case was an arrest over a domestic case in which her twin sister Stacey Silva was also implicated. As Darcey Silva explained in the 90 Day Fiancé aftershow, the clash was over her relationship with her now-ex Jesse Meester.
The incident took place at the sisters’ Connecticut home and was referred to as a “catfight” by the siblings.
Tim Clarkson – 2
Appearing in several reality TV shows within the franchise like The Other Way, and TOW Strikes Back, Tim Clarkson was arrested once over a DUI charge. According to In Touch, the arrest took place in January 2015 when Clarkson was found speeding in Iowa with an expired license.
Clarkson eventually plead guilty in exchange for a fine and completing a weekend Drunk Driving School certificate program at Kirkwood Community College. However, this wasn’t Clarkson’s first legal tussle. When he was 24, he was arrested for breaking and entering vehicles spending 28 years in jail and three years in probation.
Paul Staehle – 2
One of the most popular prequel shows on reality TV, Before The 90 Days has its fair share of scandalous cast members with Paul Staehle being a case in point. In a case of second-degree arson in 2008, Staehle was convicted in 2014. He went on to serve a prison sentence for some time which ended in April 2020.
While he initially kept his criminal past a secret from fellow contestant-turned-wife Karine, Staehle came clean to her in the show. He was arrested yet again in 2013 for disobeying an Emergency Protective Order in Kentucky.
Ben Rathbun – 2
Before The 90 Days has its fair share of liars and law offenders with Ben Rathbun being one of them. He was first arrested in 2020 on drunk driving charges. Even though he was on 18-month probation and his permit was suspended, Rathbun went on to violate the order in March 2022, resulting in another arrest.
Not much was known about the conditions of his second arrest barring the fact that his bail was finalized at $10,000, according to Entertainment Tonight. However, he didn’t have to serve time as the court granted him 24-month probation now. The show, on the other hand, has ended all ties with Rathbun.
Charlie Potthast – 2
The Potthast family has constantly caused trouble in the show and on the legal front, Charlie Potthast being a notable example of the Potthast family’s criminal past. His first arrest was related to a case of drunk driving back in 2005. Even though Potthast didn’t plead guilty, he got a charge of reckless driving the probation for which ended in 2008.
Just a year after his DUI, he was arrested on the grounds of possession of cocaine, and two counts of the first-degree misdemeanor of possession of drug-related paraphernalia. This time, he plead guilty and served probation up to 2008.
Geoffrey Paschel – 2
After the fourth season premiere of Before The 90 Days, Geoffrey Paschel came clean to his romantic interest Varya Malina about his criminal past. He touched upon how he was arrested in 1997 at the age of 19, for possession of several drugs. After Paschel pleaded guilty, he was sentenced to over 11 months in jail.
However, his entire criminal history wasn’t revealed in the show. As it turned out, Paschel went to court around the Season 4 premiere date for a case from June 2019 when his ex-fiancée had accused him of domestic violence. The case required Paschel to be answerable for alleged kidnapping, assault, vandalism, and interference with an emergency call. After being found guilty by a Tennessee court in October 2021, and ever since this February, he has been serving a sentence of 18 years, as reported by InTouch.
Josh Batterson – 3
Season 5 alumnus Josh Batterson was first on the legal system’s radar in 2007 for a DUI case as reported by Starcasm. The case was closed in 2010 but Batterson had to attend an Alcohol Education/Treatment Program. Starcasm also reports that in March, 2010, he was arrested for assault and disorderly conduct after he allegedly punched a 28-year-old woman in the face.
He was arrested yet again in March 2010 for disorderly conduct along with assault. Starcasm reported that the one to allege him was his ex-wife (whose name has been kept anonymous). The charges were later dropped by the alleged victim when she couldn’t cooperate with the prosecutors.
Larissa Dos Santos Lima – 3
While some 90 Day Fiancé couples might be “#CoupleGoals”, Larissa Dos Santos Lima and Colt Johson have had a turbulent romance. But before her matrimonial encounter in the show, she had three legal cases to her name. The first on Larissa’s rap sheet of arrests was a domestic battery charge from June 2018 followed by the same charge in another case of domestic battery with Johnson in July 2018 and yet another arrest in January 2019.
As reported by InTouch, the Brazilian reality star was arrested a third time for “misdemeanor domestic violence” in January 2019. Things turned so bad that she even asked her fans to fund a GoFundMe campaign for a bail! Ultimately, she was able to avoid incarceration in exchange for domestic violence classes with community service.
Tyler Nafziger – 4
Appearing as Nicole Nafziger’s father in the show, Tyler Nafziger has been quite notorious when it comes to illegal actions. Back in October 2019, Nafziger was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and battery. As InTouch mentions, his was followed by charges of third-degree felony drug possession of a controlled substance without a prescription charge and a first-degree charge for narcotic equipment possession in January 2020.
If these drug-related crimes weren’t enough, Nicole’s old man went on to be arrested for theft in March 2020 along with shoplifting charges in May of the same year. Per Starcasm, most of Tyler Nafziger’s thefts in these two cases involved toiletries, clothing, Corona beers, and other products from home improvement stores.
Jon Walters – 5
As was revealed in the sophomore season of Before The 90 Days, Jon Walters told his wife Rachel Walters about the anger issues he faced in his younger days when he got into several physical altercations.
Some of these fights lead to convictions, with each of Walters’ five arrests pertaining to such violent incidents. One of the major ones apparently happened in college as a drunk fight left his victim with an eye injury. Walters seems to have gotten over his turbulent past and has not had any more arrests since he’s been on the show.
