90 Day Fiancé star Benjamin Rathbun was slammed by fans of one of the best reality TV shows for claiming that helping a homeless couple caused his September 2020 arrest. 52-year-old Ben visited 22-year-old Mahogany Roca in Peru in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. It was creepy to know he wanted to make a woman the age of his daughter his wife. Given his problematic thinking, it wasn’t surprising when information about Ben being arrested surfaced. He was fired from his job, and said his 2020 arrest happened because a homeless couple drugged him. Ben and Mahogany definitely won’t appear on 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? season 8, but there’s still curiosity about Ben’s arrest.
After news of Ben’s termination from his Director job at the Michigan Lupus Foundation became public, he spoke about why he doesn’t blame the foundation for letting him go. Ben admitted that he hid the details of the crime he committed from his family and workplace. His arrest in March 2022 stemmed from a probation violation related to his arrest in September 2020. Back then, Ben was charged with one count of OWAI (operating while ability impaired) and one count of driving while license suspended/revoked/denied. Ben was sentenced to 18 months of probation in January 2021.
Ben’s Criminal Record Explained
While giving InTouch details about his firing and arrest, Ben recalled that his initial crime occurred after he visited a homeless couple living at a Red Roof Inn and attempted to help them. The couple offered Ben “a little plastic cup of wine,” which he “stupidly accepted.” When he left the place, he stopped at a hotel for a night and “completely lost the next 24 hours” because the couple had allegedly spiked his drink with flubromazolam. The drug was detected in Ben’s system after he attempted to drive his car the next day and hit the curb, damaging it. Several fans took to Reddit to discuss how they found the former pastor’s story too outlandish. Under a thread by user WestCoast_PizzaGhost, fans such as Eloneatz wrote, “I give the story a 0.002 % chance of even being possible.”
Fans Doubt Ben’s Story Was True
User dirkules88 posted, “I love how it humbled him to the point of still making time to drop how he helped a poor homeless couple who had it in for him since the beginning…” Serpephone added, “He tested positive for benzos-not alcohol. Wow, seems plausible the story is made up and he was partying… 🤷♀️” Fans laughed at how nothing was Ben’s fault in his statement. He was debilitated by homeless people who took advantage of his kindness. Commenters think that Ben fabricated his story to look good and judged him for going on a reality TV show while believing that his past wouldn’t get exposed in one way or another.
“ He tested positive for benzos-not alcohol. Wow, seems plausible the story is made up and he was partying… “
Ben alleged that his arrest happened because the court had mailed his summons to the wrong address, and he had missed it. It’s suspected that Ben was in Peru at that time because he was spotted with Mahogany at a Lima mall during the same month. Mahogany accused Ben of lying to her and keeping secrets in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, so fans find it hard to believe the Michigan man.
It’s not yet known if Ben’s recent sentencing of 15 days of community service and 24 months of probation has affected his chances of appearing in a new 90-Day Fiancé spin-off, but he and Mahogany are surprisingly still together. Ben and Mahogany got married on February 5, 2024.
