90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days star Ben Rathbun has broken his silence on his arrest and being fired from his job.
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According to court documents, the 52-year-old from Fraser, MI, was originally arrested in September 2020 and charged with one count of OWAI -- operating while ability impaired -- and one count of driving with a suspended license, In Touch Weekly reported.
Ben, who was released the same day as his arrest with his bail set at $10,000, was reportedly sentenced to 15 days of community service and 24 months of probation on March 21.
"In September of 2020, I went to help a homeless couple living at a Red Roof Inn, and when they offered me a little plastic cup of wine, I stupidly accepted," Ben told In Touch.
"When I left, I felt so tired I stopped at a hotel for the night and completely lost the next 24 hours. Apparently, they had spiked the drink."
Ben recalled that the next day, he "attempted to drive home and hit the curb, disabling my car."
"The police did a breathalyzer and found no alcohol, but later they did a blood draw at the station and found flubromazolam in my system," Ben claimed.
Flubromazolam produces central nervous system depression and commonly treats panic disorders, anxiety and insomnia.
Following Ben's original arrest, Ben reportedly pleaded guilty for the OUI and was sentenced in January 2021.
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"I received 18 months probation, community service, counseling, fines, educational courses and random testing for weeks and weeks," Ben explained. "I met all the requirements and never had a positive test."
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW"However, when the court allowed me to move to another state, they mailed a summons to the wrong address. This was my fault because I needed to make sure I was getting all notices, but by the time I found out, it was too late, and I missed my appointment."
A bench warrant was therefore issued for Ben's arrest.
"I immediately drove 14 hours and turned myself in to the court and spent a night in jail," Ben said.
According to documents obtained by the magazine, Ben also has several liens placed on his Warren, Michigan, property due to "nonpayment of property taxes."
As a result of Ben's recent legal troubles, he was fired from his job as the executive director at the Michigan Lupus Foundation.
Ben's former employer wrote on the organization's Facebook page on Wednesday, March 30, "Effective immediately, Ben Rathbun is no longer an employee."
Ben therefore shared, "When the public, including the board members of my charity, first heard of my arrest, [it was] falsely reported that I had been picked up late at night for drunk driving."
Ben was seemingly referring to an article TMZ had published at the time.
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"But still, I had committed a crime and put myself and others in danger. [And] I had hid it from them and even my family."
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Ben told the magazine that his termination "will serve to humble me and allow greater growth in me as a person," adding that he doesn't "blame my foundation for letting me go."
"Anything that would distract us from accomplishing the mission of our charity should be dealt with appropriately," Ben added. "I had become a major distraction, and I know this process, while painful, is the best course of action."
Ben said he believes his firing will eventually lead him "to another place of service" where he can use his "talents to help people."
As shown on the latest season of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, Ben grew up in a mainstream Baptist denomination that was "very much like a cult."
In order to align with the rules of his religion, Ben decided to become a pastor and marry his church's children ministry partner; however, the couple chose to leave the cult about seven years ago and Ben filed for divorce after more than two decades of marriage.
Ben then connected with Mahogany, a 22-year-old from San Bartolo, Peru, on a dating website, and the pair communicated for four months and deeply bonded over their faith, morals and values. However, they never videochatted or spoke on the phone.
Ben ultimately decided to fly to Peru and meet his dream girl in person, despite his family's concerns Mahogany's pictures were clearly edited and she may lack emotional maturity -- if she was even real.
Mahogany attempted to cancel Ben's trip, saying her father wouldn't approve of Ben visiting her, but Ben didn't want to wait any longer.
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Once Ben arrived in Peru, Mahogany was nowhere to be found and she didn't answer any of his text messages. After 24 hours, Ben asked Mahogany to meet him at a restaurant in her hometown of San Bartolo, and she actually ended up making an appearance.
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But Ben quickly realized they were on two different pages. Mahogany hadn't told her friends that she had a boyfriend, and she wouldn't say, "I love you," back to Ben once he said it.
Ben also soon discovered she had lied about her age in claiming she was 24 years old, and Mahogany gave Ben a tour of a well-kept and expensive condo that didn't appear to be hers.
The couple proceeded to get to know each other better, but Mahogany was turned off when Ben allegedly took no accountability or fault for the demise of his previous marriage and failed engagement. Mahogany said he blamed the women he had been with.
"I can't imagine a pastor not taking responsibility for his mistakes," Mahogany complained to the cameras. "It's very immature, very strange. I'm a little worried that Benjamin isn't the same person I thought he was."
Ben attempted to explain himself to Mahogany via text but she never responded, which resulted in Ben standing up Mahogany and her parents for breakfast. Mahogany's parents then decided Ben wasn't good enough for their daughter.
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Ben continued to pursue Mahogany, however, and she eventually came around to the idea of giving Ben another chance. The couple even shared a passionate kiss while exploring her hometown, but then Mahogany stormed off from Ben when he brought up the things she had seemingly been dishonest about.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Ben insisted that his age difference from Mahogany doesn't matter.
"It's just something that caught me off guard... But this has become so much more than age, so much more than, you know, our differences. The things we've been really focusing on are our commonalities... She is so mature and wise and intelligent, that I haven't really felt that difference," Ben said.
He added, "It's not about the age to me. I met someone whose heart and whose soul is just so beautiful and someone that I can just connect with on such a different level that I just didn't want to let that go."
Ben also insisted he's not "a predator" after receiving backlash for having a daughter who's the same age as Mahogany.
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"I'm sure most of her stuff was in her parents' house. For Peru, that is their off season, I went during their winter. So, there's not a lot of tourists. Those really nice condominiums there are very inexpensive," Ben explained.
"She's got a great job, she's got a great future. She is going to become an international lawyer, and she has money and her parents have money."
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
