Big Brother alum Memphis Garrett has been arrested for allegedly embezzling over $100,000 in Florida taxes.
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The former Big Brother houseguest -- whose real name is Robert Garrett -- has been accused of failing to pay over $100,000 dollars in sales tax.
Memphis was charged with a first-degree felony for theft of state funds.
According to the probable cause affidavit obtained by the magazine, Memphis allegedly failed to pay $55,366.77 in sales taxes from his Florida businesses over the course of two years.
Memphis runs LLC Poke House Lauderdale, which is comprised of The Poke House and No Man's Land Miami LLC.
The Big Brother alum allegedly didn't pay sales tax from those two businesses from November 2022 to October 2024.
Memphis is being held at a Fort Lauderdale jail on $15,000 bond, Us Weekly reported.
Memphis' arrest comes more than a year after Garrett filed for divorce from fellow Big Brother alum Christmas Abbott in March 2024.
In his filing, Memphis cited irreconcilable differences as the cause of their split, and he asked the court to divide the former couple's assets equally.
Memphis also requested that he not be forced to pay Christmas alimony.
Sources close to the pair told TMZ last year that Christmas and Memphis officially broke up in February 2024 and had been living apart prior to their divorce.
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In February 2024, Christmas filed for a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Memphis and a judge ultimately granted her protection.
The sources claimed that Christmas thought Memphis had totally changed into a different person post-marriage and was unfaithful to her.
"It is unfortunate that the actions and intentions of individuals involved in this situation have led to the exposure of personal and sensitive information," Christmas told TMZ in a statement.
"I believe that matters of this nature should be resolved in a private and respectful manner. I ask for privacy at this time to focus on my family."
Meanwhile, insiders close to Memphis told the website at the time that Memphis believed Christmas was cheating on him as well.
The insiders also revealed that Memphis believed Christmas had made up domestic-violence allegations against him just to get him in trouble with the law.
Whether there was a real incident or not, police did escort Memphis out of the former couple's home in Fort Lauderdale, along with his son River, whom he welcomed with his ex-wife Ashley.
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"I was doing everything in my power to work on our marriage. I only wish the very best in life for her and [her five-year-old] son Loyal."
Memphis and Christmas -- who welcomed Loyal with her ex, Benjamin Bunn -- never had a baby together.
TMZ later reported that Christmas voluntarily dismissed her petition seeking a restraining order against Memphis in May 2024.
Christmas and Memphis got engaged in June 2021 and tied the knot in May 2022 at the State Railroad Museum in Savannah, GA.
Memphis and Christmas were both in relationships with other people when they competed on Big Brother: All-Stars, the show's 22nd season that wrapped in October 2020, so neither person acted on the romantic feelings they appeared to have had for each other during the game.
But after the show, they began dating and then Memphis proposed marriage to Christmas on the beach during a romantic getaway to Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in June 2021.
"After meeting him, it became clear to me that God had a plan from the very start," Christmas told E! News.
"I knew that everything that had happened in my life prepared me to meet him, so when I did, I would know he's my person without a doubt. He is my best friend and my HOME and I get to spend forever with him."
Memphis previously told Us in December 2020 that he knew around Week 6 there "was something about" Christmas that he wouldn't be able to ignore. That same month, Christmas and Memphis went Instagram official.
"I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her a few weeks into the All Star season of Big Brother," Memphis told E! News.
"Since the first time I saw her years back, I always knew she was supposed to be a part of my life, I just didn't know in what capacity. Once I spent a few weeks with her, I knew exactly."
Dating speculation began to swirl when Christmas and Memphis had been photographed hanging out at a Florida bar together in November 2020 and the image circulated on social media.
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"We have such a unique and fascinating story of how we fell in love and came together," Christmas told E! News at the time.
"It's wild to know Memphis and I fell in love with each other before we even shared a kiss. He's my best friend, twin flame and brings out the best of me everyday."
She added, "We accept each other as we are and love one another for who we are at our core. He's my home."
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Christmas and Memphis finished Big Brother: All-Stars in fourth and fifth place, respectively, and both of them ultimately voted for Cody Calafiore to win the game over runner-up Enzo Palumbo.
Prior to All-Stars, Christmas competed on Big Brother's nineteenth season and placed third. Memphis first appeared on Big Brother's tenth season all the way back in 2008.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
