This week, Ben Rathbun was arrested and held on $10,000 bond.
While initial reports accused him of driving under the influence and with an expired license, there was more to the story.
He had been placed upon 18 months of probation, allegedly violated that probation, and then didn’t show up for the probation hearing.
After his arrest, thousands of dollars in debts have been uncovered. Is this why he signed up for the show?
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In Touch Weekly reports that Ben Rathbun has had several tax liens placed on his property by the Macomb County Treasurer.
In 2010, Ben’s alleged “nonpayment of property taxes” resulted in a lien of $3,760.66.
Another lien was placed in 2010 for $4,109.65, in 2012 for $3,490.10 and $4789.24, in 2013 for $3,097.23 and $4,079.42.
2014 liens were placed to the tune of $2,826.98 and $5,531.40, in 2015 for $2249.73 and $5,306.34.
In 2016 the numbers were $2,791.40 and $2,650.50, in 2017 the amount was $3,112.22.
While we only have limited information, it looks like Ben has had some financial struggles, no matter how brave of a face he has put on it.
Having debt of any kind should not be a source of shame or condemnation, but it could certainly turn his life upside down.
We also do not know Ben’s whole story — we know that he escaped from a cult, we know his recent life, but not a lot of what happened in between.
90 Day Fiance fans are particularly interested in what led to his arrest … but these debts could be related, in a roundabout way.
To put things in order:
In 2020, Ben was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol and of driving with an expired license.
While drinking and driving can lead to tragic outcomes, it doesn’t sound like anyone was hurt — at least, not from what we know.
Following that arrest, Ben was sentenced to 18 months of probation.
That is where things get complicated, as that year and a half of probation would certainly have included all of 2021 (following his sentencing that January).
Why is that complicated? Because Ben traveled to Peru and filmed with Mahogany that year.
We do not know the exact terms of Ben’s probation.
However, generally speaking, one is expected to not leave the jurisdiction without notifying or even receiving permission.
(Yes, prior approval is possible … but not guaranteed)
Did Ben seek permission to leave for Peru, got denied, and then go anyway?
Did Ben not seek permission to travel to Peru, and violated his probation that way?
Or … did Ben obtain permission to leave for Peru, but was accused of violating his probation in some other way?
If he went to Peru without permission, it’s unclear why he would have thought that he wouldn’t face consequences.
After all, he appeared on a widely publicized franchise that is viewed by millions of people.
Regardless of what happened and why, he was accused of violating his probation.
Ben was supposed to appear for a hearing about allegedly violating his probation.
The hearing took place — or would have taken place — last month.
Ben apparently did not show up, prompting the judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
That bench warrant was served on Tuesday, March 15.
This led to Ben’s arrest and to the mugshot that has since circulated.
We do not yet know what Ben has to say for himself, but some wonder if all of this is related.
Step one, fans speculate, was Ben’s financial struggles.
Perhaps this was before his career of working as a male model as an “old dude with abs,” or perhaps he exaggerated his success for the cameras.
It is also possible that escaping from the cult led to financial burdens or difficulty finding gainful employment. Again, there is a lot that we do not know.
Step two, fans wonder, might have been Ben jumping at the chance to appear on reality television.
Yes, maybe he wanted to grow his brand as a model. Maybe he wanted fame to give him a platform to express his beliefs.
Or maybe he had thousands of dollars in debt and hoped that things like Cameo calls could help him make fast money.
Step three would be, according to this fan theory, that he took the risk of going to Peru.
Perhaps he hoped for leniency or to even simply avoid being caught — if he was violating his probation (which, again, we do not know).
He may have thought that the rewards — solving all of his financial problems and landing a hot wife in the process — were worth the risk.
The bonus step may have been missing his probation violation hearing … by returning to Peru.
Yes, as we reported in February, Ben and Mahogany were spotted together again by a fan at a mall in Lima.
It is unclear if they were filming together again, but some wonder if Ben was out of the country for the hearing.
If so, it could even be the case that Ben’s arrest this week marked his return.
All of this speculation makes a lot of assumptions, however.
There could be simpler and less complicated reasons for one man to make a series of mistakes, some big and some small.