Big Brother alum Memphis Garrett was arrested on Thursday, May 15, for failing to give the state of Florida more than $50,000 that his restaurants collected in sales taxes.
Broward County police have charged Garrett, 42, with one first-degree felony count of theft of state funds. As of this writing, he is being held at a Fort Lauderdale jail on $15,000 bond, according to documents viewed by Us Weekly.
The reality star turned restaurateur is accused of collecting $55,366.77 in sales taxes between November 2022 and October 2024 through his LLC, Poke House Lauderdale, and not turning them over to the state.
Garrett, who placed second on Big Brother 10 and returned for the second Big Brother All-Stars season in 2020, has opened close to 40 restaurants and nightclubs around Florida in his career, according to his website.
Us has reached out to Garrett’s team for comment.
His arrest comes as Garrett has endured a turbulent last year-plus after filing for divorce from fellow Big Brother All-Star Christmas Abbott in March 2024.
“My heart hurts,” Garrett said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time. “I did not want to have to file for divorce. I was doing everything in my power to work on our marriage. I only wish the very best in life for her and [her son], Loyal.”
“It is unfortunate that the actions and intentions of individuals involved in this situation have led to the exposure of personal and sensitive information,” Abbott added in a statement to Us. “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.”
Garrett and Abbott met on Big Brother All-Stars and went public with their relationship shortly after the finale. They got married in May 2022.
“What excites me most about marrying Christmas is I get to spend the rest of my life with her!” Garrett told E! News that May. “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.”
