Seven of the worst 90 Day Fiancé criminals
TLC’s popular 90 Day Fiancé franchise has been around for more than eleven years.
The international relationship series has launched multiple spin-offs featuring more than 150 couples (and throuples) hoping love will overcome distance and cultural differences. Each of the couples have friends and family, vastly expanding the number of characters in the 90 Day Fiancé universe.
Among the hundreds of characters featured on the various 90 Day Fiance shows there have been numerous arrests and convictions. Some of the charges are old, and some of them are relatively minor. However, there have been some VERY serious crimes committed by folks appearing on the shows.
Starcasm has covered most all of the criminal activities of those associated with the franchise over the years, and we’ve compiled a list of some of the worst offenders.
Below is a YouTube video with the entire list, in case you prefer that to reading this article:
The list is based on crimes and/or convictions that occurred after the person appeared on the show. That means the pre-show crimes of folks like Paul Staehle, Molly Hopkins, Josh Batterson, and Elizabeth Potthast’s whole family were not eligible to make the list.
I should also point out that Leida Margaretha has been arrested multiple times since her appearance on 90 Day Fiancé Season 6, but she has yet to be convicted of any crimes, so she wasn’t eligible either.
To avoid any unnecessary controversy or a heated debate, the entries are not ranked. Instead, they are arranged chronologically based on when the person first appeared on TLC.
MICHAEL ELOSHWAY
Kicking off the list of 90 Day Fiance‘s worst criminals is Michael Eloshway. Michael appeared in the very first season of the show, alongside his much younger Russian fiancée (and eventual wife) Aziza.
Michael Eloshway was indicted in June of 2023 for one count of Possession of Child P*rnography and one count of Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged In Sexually Exp|icit Conduct. The arrest was the result of a federal investigation into users transmitting illegal image and video files via BitTorrent.
According to federal investigators, Eloshway’s IP address received or transmitted approximately 63,439 files between February of 2022 and March of 2023. Of those 63,439 files, approximately 9,541 files were determined to be severe files.
After police raided Michael’s home and seized his computer, he admitted the illegal files were on his computer. However, he argued that he downloaded files in large batches and would delete the underage material. He had yet to do that with his latest downloads when his computer was seized.
Michael Eloshway was found guilty of multiple counts of possession of child p*rnography on July 24, 2024. In October of 2024, Michael was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison — which was well below the recommended sentence range of 17 and a half to 20 years.
Michael’s convictions are more concerning given that he and Aziza have a young daughter. Olivia Joan Eloshway was born January 14, 2019 and was four years old when Michael was arrested.
Soon after his arrest, Michael Eloshway agreed to take a polygraph test. According to court documents, the test was administered “and Mr. Eloshway is shown to have been truthful in his denial of any sexual contact with children.”
Michael filed an appeal in December of 2024. That appeal is still active with the next hearing scheduled for July of 2025.
JORGE NAVA
Next on the list is 90 Day Fiancé Season 4 star Jorge Nava, who was with the famously short-tempered Anfisa from Russia.
It seems unlikely that being arrested for marijuana possession could land someone on this list, but that all changes when you’re talking about nearly 300 pounds of it!
In February of 2018, Jorge was traveling east on Interstate 40 in Arizona when he was pulled over for a traffic stop. Police searched his vehicle and found 293 pounds of high-grade marijuana.
Jorge Nava pleaded guilty to felony attempted transportation of marijuana in July of 2018. In September of 2018, Jorge was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. He was also fined $20,000. Making matters worse for Jorge, he and his wife Anfisa Nava split up after he went away.
While seemingly at rock bottom, Jorge’s time in prison appears to have had an incredibly positive impact on his life. He lost a lot of weight while incarcerated, and he entered into a serious relationship with another woman soon after his release in May of 2020.
Jorge and his girlfriend Rhoda have since welcomed two children together. Their daughter Zara just turned four and they also have a three-year-old boy named George.
If you’re curious what Jorge is doing for work these days, it appears he has turned his experience with marijuana into a full-time — and fully legal — career. According to multiple Instagram posts from earlier this year, Jorge is now the Director of Cultivation at California’s Cha-Ching Farms.
SCOTTIE DEEM
Next on the list of some of the worst criminals in 90 Day Fiancé history is Angela Deem’s daughter, Scottie Deem.
Scottie Deem was featured prominently when Angela made her TLC debut on the second season of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days.
Scottie was the person most often in scenes with Angela before Angela flew to Nigeria to meet Michael. However, it appears Angela’s scenes with Scottie have since been deleted from the streaming versions of the episodes currently available via Max and Discovery+.
Scottie Deem was arrested in September of 2017 and charged with aggravated child molestation and aggravated sodomy after she allegedly had sexual relations with a juvenile boy at her house.
Scottie was later indicted on one count of aggravated child molestation, 11 counts of child molestation, and one count of statutory rape.
35-year-old Scottie Deem pleaded guilty to three counts of child molestation and was sentenced to three concurrent 20-year sentences in early 2019.
Scottie was released on parole in May of 2020 after serving just one year and three months. She doesn’t turn up when searching the Georgia Department of Corrections website for active parolees, but Scottie is on the Sex Offender Registry. She reportedly lives with her mother, Angela.
MICHAEL BALTIMORE
90 Day Fiancé and Happily Ever After star Ashley Martson’s husband Jay Smith filmed numerous scenes at his favorite barber shop with his barber friends Michael Baltimore and Kendell Cook.
Fans will likely recall the scenes in which Michael and Kendell revealed to Ashley that Jay hooked up with another woman in the barbershop bathroom. That scene has since been deleted from the streaming versions of the episodes available via Max and Discovery+.
Here is another scene with Jay, Kendell and Michael in which Jay reveals that he was speaking with a girl he met via an app.
In May of 2021, Kendell was shot and killed at the GQ Barbershop featured on the show.
According to multiple eye witnesses, Michael walked into GQ Barbershop with a handgun wearing camouflage and a mask. Kendell Cook addressed Baltimore by name and attempted to flee. Michael reportedly shot him several times.
Michael Baltimore went on the run and landed on the U.S. Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted list with a $25,000 reward.
Michael was eventually apprehended in Broward County, Florida in January of 2023. He was arrested after being in a bar fight in Davie, Florida. Police later pulled over a vehicle with Michael and two other people in it. The bar fight victim identified Michael as the assailant.
Police searched the vehicle Michael was in and reportedly found a loaded firearm, 2.3 grams of fentanyl, over 200 grams of marijuana, 818 ecstasy pills, and three fake IDs. He was charged with a laundry list of felonies and booked into the Broward County Jail.
Court records indicate Michael received 130 days in jail for his Florida charges and was credited with 130 days time served.
Michael is currently back in Pennsylvania facing multiple charges, including homicide. The case is still active, pending the results of an Interlocutory Appeal.
LARISSA DOS DANTOS LIMA
The 90 Day Fiancé franchise has numerous cast members who’ve had domestic violence arrests, some of which happened after the person appeared on TLC. However, none of them can compare to Colt Johnson’s ex-wife Larissa dos Santos Lima.
The fiery Brazilian was arrested for domestic violence on three separate occasions after making her TLC debut as part of 90 Day Fiancé Season 6.
Larissa was first booked for domestic battery on June 19, 2018. That was just five days before she married Colt. Larissa’s first arrest went under the media’s radar and wasn’t reported on until Larissa was booked again roughly five months later.
On November 10, 2018, Larissa was booked into the Clark County Jail in Las Vegas on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge for the second time. This arrest did not go unnoticed thanks to the fact that Larissa posted a series of photos and videos on social media just prior to her arrest revealing that she and Colt had a serious fight.
Larissa and Colt got into another altercation that turned bloody in January of 2019. Larissa was arrested on January 11 and was charged with domestic battery for the third time.
Larissa’s first two charges were dismissed or denied, but she wasn’t quite as lucky with the third. On a positive note, Larissa’s “DUI DOCTOR” attorney had the domestic battery charge dropped to disorderly conduct, which was a huge win in regards to her being able to remain in the United States.
Larissa was given a suspended sentence along with 48 hours of community service, 6 months of weekly domestic violence counseling classes, and a $345 fine. She avoided deportation and is currently living in Las Vegas again.
DOUGLAS “DJ DOUG” WOOTEN
Our list of the worst 90 Day Fiancé criminals heads back to Hazlehurst, Georgia thanks to another criminal who appeared alongside 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days and Happily Ever After star Angela Deem.
During the third season of Before the 90 Days, Angela was considering a local venue called The Cotton Patch as a location for her and Michael’s wedding. Douglas “DJ Doug” Wooten was the venue coordinator, and he quickly became a viral sensation after delivering numerous memorable quotes in response to Angela’s questions.
Unfortunately, Doug’s appearance on the show has been deleted from the streaming episode available via Max and Discovery+.
Doug later made more headlines, but this time it was after he was arrested for the murder of a 54-year-old Georgia man.
According to the indictment, Doug and three other people participated in the invasion of a house owned by a woman named Brittany Martinez on January 4, 2021. During the course of the home invasion, 54-year-old Marcos Ramirez was shot and killed.
Doug was charged with 3 counts of felony murder, armed robbery, home invasion, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. (The multiple counts of murder were due to multiple felonies allegedly being committed as part of the murder.)
Douglas Wooten pleaded guilty to a single count of felony murder on May 2, 2022. As part of the plea deal, the prosecutor elected to not prosecute the other charges.
40-year-old Doug was given a life sentence on the same day his plea was entered. He is eligible for parole, but not for a while. According to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, a person receiving a life sentence for felony murder is eligible for parole after serving 30 years.
Doug has been credited with time served beginning on January 7 of 2021. That would mean that he will become eligible for parole in January of 2051.
GEOFFREY PASCHEL
Part of Geoffrey Paschel’s story line during the fourth season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days was his extensive criminal record. Geoffrey claimed on screen that his legal troubles were far in his past, but he had numerous arrests in the years leading up to his TLC debut, including a domestic violence arrest just a few months before filming.
Geoffrey brutally beat his American fiancée, Kristen Wilson, during an altercation in June of 2019. Soon after his arrest, Geoffrey began filming for Before the 90 Days. He would fly to Russia to meet his online girlfriend, Varya Malina, for the first time in person.
Starcasm was the first to report on Geoffrey’s domestic violence arrest, as well as multiple accusations of rape and sexual abuse by his ex-wives. Our arrest story was published well before Geoffrey’s season of Before the 90 Days premiered, yet TLC decided to not remove Geoffrey’s segments from the show.
His scenes were not included in the Pillow Talk segments, and Geoffrey was not invited to the Tell All. That was the full extent of TLC’s response.
Geoffrey told Domenick Nati during an interview that he was offered a plea deal which would have resulted in no jail time, but he turned it down.
Geoffrey went to trial in October of 2021 and was found guilty of aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault, and interference with an emergency call. In February of 2022, Geoffrey was sentenced to 18 years in prison with no chance of parole.
During the sentencing, the judge in the case called Geoffrey’s treatment of women “sick” and “sadistic.” “It goes beyond the desire to inflict physical harm on these women,” Judge Kyle Hixson stated. “It speaks of a deep psychological issue, I think, that Mr. Paschel has a desire to inflict as much emotional damage to these women as possible.”
Geoffrey has filed multiple appeals, all of which have been denied. His most recent appeal was filed in April of 2025 and is currently still ongoing.
Varya remains in a relationship with Geoffrey. She lives in one of his houses and manages the others — which are rental properties.
It’s unclear if Geoffrey and Varya were ever officially married. She is able to stay in the United States after obtaining a green card via a lottery.
* This article has been updated from a previous article originally published in 2022.
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
