The Untold Truth Of 90 Day Fiance's Geoffrey Paschel

Since its 2014 debut, TLC's 90 Day Fiancé has become one of television's most talked-about reality shows. The premise is addictive yet simple: the series follows what happens when foreign men and women in long-distance relationships with Americans visit their significant others via a K-1 visa, allowing them to stay in the U.S. for 90 days. If the couple doesn't marry within that period, the foreigners must return to their native lands. 

90 Day Fiancé has since spawned several spin-offs and plenty of controversy. One of those spin-offs, in fact, was hit with extreme backlash over a particular participant: Geoffrey Paschel. He was first introduced to fans ahead of the 2020 season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, which chronicles what takes place before the foreign member of the couple arrives. 

While Paschel's long-distance love affair with a Russian woman named Varya was one of the stories to be featured on the show, shocking information began to surface about his past before the season even started that February, including a heartbreaking loss, disturbing allegations, and more. Let's uncover the untold truth of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days' Geoffrey Paschel.

TLC's announcement of the 2020 season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days introduced the upcoming season's lovebirds, including Geoffrey Paschel and Varya, a Russian radio personality (her last name hadn't yet been verified). According to the network's press release, the two met on "an international dating site." In a promo for the season, the hunky resident of Knoxville, Tenn. is shown shirtless, chopping wood in slow motion, before admitting, "I have never met Varya in person." To remedy that, Paschel set out on a journey to Moscow for their first face-to-face meeting.

Paschel shared more details about how they met during a confessional in the debut episode that February. "You know, I was struggling to find that right person, so I wanted to change it up," he said. "I was on my computer and there was an ad that popped up for an international dating site. I said, 'Why not?' I made a profile, and at that time, I truly believed there is no perfect package — until I met Varya."

Paschel, who revealed he'd previously been married "a couple times," also expressed his belief that, "Varya and I are meant to be together."

According to TLC's press release for the 2020 season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Geoffrey Paschel faced unimaginable tragedy when his young son, Kazhem, passed away at 13 months old.

"I've had a lot of heartbreak in my life, but by far, the absolute worst is what happened to Kazhem," he said in the season premiere. Paschel revealed that Kazhem suffered a seizure while under his care. At the hospital, he explained, doctors put the child in a medically-induced coma and placed him on life support, before he eventually died days later. "Losing a child is the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to you," Paschel continued. "There's going to be a hole in my heart for the rest of my life, but I know Kazhem's all around me. And that gives me peace in my heart to know that."

In February 2020, Paschel shared a tribute on Instagram to celebrate what would have been his son's third birthday. "There is not a moment that goes by whereas he is not encompassing my every thought," Paschel wrote.

Weeks before the premiere of Geoffrey Paschel's season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Knox News reported that he made a court appearance in late January 2020 stemming from the reality star's June 2019 arrest. The bust came after an alleged violent altercation with his then-girlfriend, and she made some serious accusations while seeking an order of protection against him.

"He repeatedly bashed/slammed my head into the hardwood floors of my home," the unnamed woman claimed in her filed petition. "He dragged me through the house by my hair and continued throwing my body into walls and furniture. I know this because of blood on my walls, furniture, etc." The petition also stated that she sought medical attention at a Knoxville hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion.

In addition, the woman accused Paschel of disabling her phone so she was unable to call for help. She finally managed to escape, she alleged, and ran to the home of a neighbor, where she called 911. The woman was granted a restraining order, while Paschel entered a plea of not guilty.

During what was described as "a brief court appearance" in January 2020, Geoffrey Paschel waived an arraignment and was formally charged with "aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault, interference with emergency calls and vandalism," per Knox News. According to his ex-girlfriend, the alleged June 2019 incident wasn't the first time she'd allegedly been the victim of Paschel's violent behavior. 

In her petition seeking an order of protection, she also accused Paschel of "pushing, hitting, [and] choking" her, as well as threatening her, four times since the fall of 2018. Meanwhile, the alleged violence apparently continued after Paschel was placed in custody the following June. According to the affadavit of complaint obtained by Starcasm, Paschel reportedly tried to "kick out the windows of the patrol vehicle," which led officers to determine he was the "primary aggressor" in the altercation.

For his part, the 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days star denied charges of violence, telling authorities his ex-girlfriend's injuries were "self-inflicted." After the 2020 hearing, Paschel was questioned by reporters and proclaimed his innocence. His ex-girlfriend's allegations, he maintained, were her way of sabotaging his child custody battle with his estranged wife, from whom he wasn't yet officially divorced, telling Knox News, "It's all about child custody."

The June 2019 arrest of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days' Geoffrey Paschel impacted his ongoing custody battle with his estranged (and reportedly fourth) wife, Brittany, as their divorce agreement was being worked out. According to legal documents obtained by Starcasm, the co-parenting agreement between Paschel and his ex granted her custody of their son, Cayvan, one week per month, with Paschel having custody for the remainder.

Paschel's son was with his mother, who had moved to Canada and could not legally enter the U.S., when the reality star was arrested. While the two parents were scheduled to attend a court hearing that would "determine future co-parenting time" days later, Starcasm reports that Paschel never showed up. After his ex learned he'd been arrested on domestic violence charges, her attorney filed an emergency motion to suspend their co-parenting arrangement due to the "particularly egregious" allegations. The judge in the case ended up granting Brittany temporary physical and legal custody, and their previous co-parenting schedule ultimately switched: Paschel would be the one to have custody just one week per month, while the boy would live with his mother for the rest of the month.

Gregory Paschel's 2019 arrest and accusations of violence were just one piece of a larger picture that began to emerge when Starcasm claimed in January 2020 to have obtained the divorce papers filed by a previous ex (ex-wife No. 2, it seems) of the 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days star. And those legal documents, from 2004, contained some very disturbing allegations.

Among the numerous claims from Paschel's second ex-wife were "various physical assaults," which the filing claimed had been documented through medical records and court orders. In addition, this unnamed ex alleged that Paschel "committed assaults" in "the presence of minor children as well as committing acts of violence towards the minor children themselves," and "further threatened the lives of [his ex-wife] and her family numerous times."

Hidden amidst these accusations was a particularly heinous one: a claim that Paschel had "repeatedly raped" his ex-wife. Other allegations included how he reportedly "told [her] he was going to take [her] life ... and tried to choke [her] to death," and had once held a knife to her throat "and threatened to kill her," as well as her claim that at one point she was forced to "to wrestle a shotgun away from him after he had threatened to kill us both."

A 2013 divorce filing from yet another one of Geoffrey Paschel's ex-wives contained even more shocking allegations. He and that wife, Starcasm reported in February 2020, also had a child together, a son. This ex-wife, reportedly his third, similarly filed a motion for protective order, which contained this tidbit: she requested that Paschel "not have co-parenting time" with their son, claiming, "He is a danger to the child due to his practice of selling opiate medication and historic involvement of his children as a 'cover' or 'mule' in his illegal activities." 

Starcasm's report also included the transcript of a deposition allegedly given by Paschel. When asked if he was ever convicted of drug trafficking, the reality star reportedly admitted, "I was convicted of something ... but I'm not sure it was drug trafficking." Later questioned about whether he was a convicted felon, Paschel confessed that he was, but invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not answer what he was convicted of in order to avoid incriminating himself. The judge told him, "You can't plead the Fifth on that." As of this writing, Paschel's exact charges in this case remain unclear.

Early 2020 saw Starcasm continue to dig into the past of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days star Geoffrey Paschel. That February, the gossip site claimed to have discovered his lengthy criminal record dating back to 1997, when he reportedly faced several drug charges at the age of 19. This was supposedly followed by an arrest in 2000 on charges of larceny/theft under $500.

Starcasm went on to note that Paschel reportedly spent some time in the slammer, serving time in a federal penitentiary from 2001 until 2003. While the charges on which he was convicted hadn't been unearthed, the media outlet did find documents indicating that, at the time of this arrest, Paschel reportedly "had in his possession, five pounds of marijuana, two ounces of cocaine, $15,000, and a firearm."

All that said, as Starcasm emphasized, in all of these and the above-mentioned cases, "These are the charges at the time of Geoffrey's arrests and should not be interpreted as guilt." Still, it seems as though prison might not have taught Paschel that crime doesn't pay. In 2013, he was reportedly arrested after a Home Depot security camera captured him putting more than $500 worth of lights on a flatbed dolly and heading out the exit door without paying the year before. Starcasm reports that Paschel pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor shoplifting charge and received a probationary sentence.

Before a single episode of the 2020 season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days even aired, the revelations dug up in the above-mentioned legal documents and arrest reports left some fans of the show unsettled. If a gossip site could find out this information, they wondered, why hadn't TLC? Viewers who found out about Geoffrey Paschel's arrests and the allegations surrounding them let their feelings be known on social media. 

"I am boycotting Geoffrey and his dumb story," wrote one fan on Twitter. "No interest in hearing anything from him!" Another fan, self-identifying as "a connoisseur of garbage television," similarly tweeted, "I can't believe #90DayFiance is airing Geoffrey Paschal's segments, considering the accusations against him."

One viewer was incensed enough to launch a petition on Change.org, boasting the not-at-all-subtle title: "Remove Geoffrey Paschel from TLC shows." Listing the various accusations surrounding Paschel, the petition's goal was that he be ditched from the series while ensuring he appears on no future TLC program: "We would also like to make advertisers aware of what they are supporting, and hope to see that your companies will not stand for promoting such atrocities as these."

The shocking allegations about Geoffrey Paschel's past bubbled up and boiled over just as the new season of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days premiered in February 2020. Viewers of the series who had become aware of the accusations were stunned to see that Paschel had apparently neglected to tell his Russian paramour, Varya, that he'd been arrested and was facing charges of kidnapping, domestic assault, and other crimes. It seems he had also failed to inform her about the restraining order his former girlfriend had taken out against him, let alone any of the other multiple reported skeletons that were ready to burst out of his closet. 

Fans took to Twitter to point out the corner Paschel had painted himself into. One viewer tweeted that Varya's "not gonna be happy" when she "finds out you're a serial abuser," while another simply wrote, "Varya better be careful." A different Twitter user added, "Nearly spit my wine out when Geoffrey's friends said he has 'impulse issues.' With a criminal history like that, I'd say so." We suppose we'll have to wait and see how this all plays out on-screen.

Geoffrey Paschel's alleged criminal past and 2019 arrest weren't the only details the 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days star seemed to be keeping hidden from his Russian girlfriend. It looks as thought he also neglected to tell her that he was actually still legally married, as his divorce hadn't yet been finalized. Starcasm dug up more info on Paschel's estranged ex, Brittany, who's reportedly his fourth wife. The two reportedly met in 2014 (when he was 36 and she was 19), and during the course of their marriage, the couple had two sons, Cayvan (born in 2015) and Kazhan (2017), the latter of whom sadly passed away at 13 months of age.

At some point, the marriage broke down, and in 2017, Brittany allegedly took their two sons and returned to Canada. In a court filing that year, she claimed she removed the children because of the "nomadic lifestyle" they were living and fears that her husband "would expose the children to a grave risk of physical or psychological harm." That same court filing also revealed that Brittany was barred from entering the U.S. for 20 years, while Paschel was reportedly prohibited from entering Canada due to his "dated criminal record."

Several of Geoffrey Paschel's Instagram posts seem to be taken on film or TV sets, including one featuring such giveaway hashtags as #acting, #tv, #actorslife, #onset, #talent, #filming, #actor, and #casting. In another post, he shared a photo of himself with Matthew McConaughey, presumably taken on a film set.

In fact, Paschel's IMDb page boasts numerous on-screen credits. On closer examination, many of those projects appear to be true-crime TV documentary series, in which Paschel acted in staged re-enactments. Among his credits are Murder Calls, Murder By Numbers, and Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda. In the latter series, Paschel had actually portrayed numerous characters, including a uniformed cop, a police detective, and a suicide victim.

Professional acting appears to have been a fairly recent endeavor for Paschel, with his earliest screen credit dating to 2017 in the true-crime series, Murder Chose Me. He played a convenience store manager in the show, which follows a real-life homicide detective as he "races against the clock to catch criminals running loose on the streets of Shreveport, Louisiana."

The controversy over Geoffrey Paschel has continued to engulf the 2020 season of TLC's 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. However, as of this writing, it seems the network's response has been to basically not respond: when People contacted TLC for comment that March, the magazine claimed it received no immediate reply.

For his part, Paschel finally issued a response of his own in a lengthy Instagram post shared on March 5, 2020. While he confessed to having a "checkered past," the reality star neither admitted the accusations were true nor denied that they weren't. "I hid so much about myself — whether it be my age, my history, or even my relationships," he wrote in part. Now that he decided to place himself under the harsh spotlight of media scrutiny by appearing on a popular reality show, he explained, there was no going back. 

"With the path I chose, it cannot EVER be reversed," Paschel continued. "Everything about me is out there for the world to see, whether it is true or fantasy ... And honestly, I would not have it any different." He concluded by alluding to finding "a new beginning at the other end of the tunnel."

After reports emerged of Geoffrey Paschel's criminal arrest record and stint behind bars, the 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days star took to Instagram in mid-April 2020 to share details, from his perspective, of being sent to prison. While Paschel didn't address the charges nor comment on either his guilt or innocence, he did write about what he'd gone through to show that "people who are in similar shoes can at least attempt to make a change."

Writing that he was "not proud of the experience" (explaining why he initially hid this part of his past from girlfriend Varya), Paschel recalled being handcuffed and shackled immediately after his sentencing. "This was the beginning of the next couple of years," the reality star continued. "I was going to be locked away." Struck with the reality of what he'd gotten himself into, this "very scared 20 something year-old kid" asked a guard "if [he] was going to be ok." As Paschel added, "I will never forget him looking back at me, smiling, and muttering, 'You're f**ked.'"

Arriving at his "new home," Paschel sought out a bunk against a wall, "so [he] would have at least one side protected." He continued, "As I lay down and tried to close my eyes, I hoped that I would wake up and realize this was all a terrible dream."

In an Instagram post shared in mid-April 2020, 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days' own Geoffrey Paschel declared himself an animal lover — but this is a love that extends far beyond puppies, kittens, and other cute, more traditional pets. According to Paschel, he has a particular affinity for insects, revealing that his original career goal had been to become an entomologist. 

"I have always been fascinated with the creepy-crawlies and even had the honor to work in the spider and ant lab while at the university," wrote Paschel. Admitting that he finds insects to be "akin to superheroes," this bug-lover cited such examples of insect "superpowers" as fleas that can leap to great heights, cockroaches that can exist without oxygen for more than 40 minutes, and the bark spider, which spins webs that are "25 times stronger than steel." Woah.

Paschel even went on to advocate eating bugs as a source of nutrition. "The only reason we don't readily consume them here in the States is because we have been brainwashed to perceive it as 'gross,'" he wrote. "This doesn't stop other cultures from utilizing this astounding protein source."

As Geoffrey Paschel's social media followers have likely noticed, the 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days star boasts a prodigious array of tattoos on his upper body. In a pair of Instagram posts shared in late March 2020, the reality TV star explained the origins of his most unusual tats: two elaborate circular decorations surrounding each nipple. 

In the first post, Paschel revealed that he "regretted it from the very beginning" and actually had no intention of getting inked when he and some friends attended a tattoo convention, having tagged along "just for the hell of it." But after watching his buddies get tats, Paschel returned to the convention the following day, determined to get tattooed. When he finally found a tattoo artist whom he thought would create something unique, they discussed designs: Paschel went on to recall in his second post how the artist suggested tattoos circling his nipples. Paschel, who "[figured] this guy would know what was cool," agreed. 

However, to this day, the TV personality still doesn't know exactly what the end result is supposed to be, admitting that people have guessed "everything from flames, a tribal piece, a child's drawing, a snake, to a snack." Whenever Paschel's asked to explain his nipple tattoos, he wrote, "My answer soon became: 'a peacock's eyebrows' — that's my best answer."

Losing a child is the most devastating thing that any parent can imagine, and, as previously mentioned, 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days star Geoffrey Paschel tragically experienced that heartbreak when his son Kazhem passed away at 13 months old. Paschel has discussed the loss candidly on Instagram, sharing with fans how that experience has continued to impact him — yet that transparency has also opened him up to the nasty side of social media.

In mid-March 2020, Paschel took to Facebook to display a particularly ugly Instagram comment he'd received, which asked, "Have you killed any children lately that have been in your care?" While fans came to the reality star's defense, he responded by writing that comments like these are "what is wrong in the world," adding, "It is sickening and I honestly don't have the words for it."

As Paschel wrote in the lengthy response, "My son's death consumes me 24/7 and I go through life questioning the 'what ifs' constantly. Was there something I could have done differently? ... I would have traded my life for his in an instant." He concluded by imploring his followers to "show love" and "stop the hate," continuing with, "I would never wish the experience of losing a child on my worst enemy. The pain is and will always be there without strangers, or anyone for that matter, trying to make it worse."