Former Big Brother star Memphis Garrett has been taken into custody.
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The reality TV personality reportedly owes the state of Florida more than $50,000 in unpaid taxes from his businesses, according to TMZ.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office confirmed to the outlet that he was arrested on Thursday under a warrant issued by the Department of Revenue. TMZ further reported that he remains in custody, as his $15,000 bond has yet to be paid.
According to official documents obtained by the outlet, Memphis, whose real name is Robert Garrett, has been charged with a second-degree felony for the theft of state funds.
The state has accused the reality star-turned-restaurateur of withholding $55,366.77 in sales taxes collected between November 2022 and October 2024. These taxes were gathered through his businesses, Poke House Lauderdale (operating as The Poke House) and No Man’s Land Miami LLC, but were allegedly never remitted to the state.
Memphis Garrett Has Had a Rocky Year
It’s been a challenging year or so for Memphis. In March 2024, he and his wife, fellow Big Brother alum Christmas Abbott, announced their separation.
Abbott and Garrett both had notable careers on Big Brother before crossing paths on Big Brother: All-Stars, the 22nd season of the CBS competition series, which aired in 2020. Their relationship blossomed, leading to an engagement in June 2021 and a wedding in May 2022.
Big Brother's Memphis Garrett and Christmas Abbott are officially dating:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 2, 2020
“Love is not found, it’s built. ❤️”
🔗: https://t.co/X16T6RkPfI pic.twitter.com/XiaWthtHfQ
“What excites me most about marrying Christmas is I get to spend the rest of my life with her!” Garrett gushed to E! News back then. “We can continue to build our relationship and grow together. We have so much fun together, and we complement each other. When you find something like that, you don’t ever want to let that go. She is my forever girl.”
Of course, the relationship with his forever girl ended two short years later.
Their divorce later turned contentious, with Christmas filing for a restraining order citing allegations of domestic violence. However, according to TMZ, she withdrew the request in May 2024.