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YouTuber Cody Detwiler, who goes by WhistlinDiesel online, was arrested Wednesday over claims of tax evasion. And before you ask, yes, it appears to be real this time. An indictment in the Tennessee circuit court for Williamson County says Detwiler “did unlawfully and willfully attempt in any manner to evade or defeat any tax due the State of Tennessee in an amount of five hundred dollars ($500) or more, to-wit: sales tax due on the purchase of a 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo.”
The supercar in question is almost certainly the $400,000 exotic that caught fire while speeding through a corn field in an August 2023 video. Detwiler made it clear in February of the same year that he bought the Ferrari “just to destroy it,” posting another video of a self-described durability test where he used it to “feed farm animals, go fishing, and make sensitive people upset.” It’s worth noting that the F8 Tributo was wearing Montana plates when it caught fire; many supercar owners register their vehicles in Montana as the state doesn’t collect sales tax.
In case you’re unfamiliar, that’s a recurring theme on the channel: Taking precious vehicles and absolutely thrashing them for clicks. The three WhistlinDiesel videos featuring the Ferrari have racked up 44 million views and counting.
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Detwiler’s mugshot went viral on Thursday, with talk of a $2 million bond. He has since been released from jail as he posted photos and a video of himself being walked away in handcuffs. The caption reads, “Won so big they thought I was cheating. (100% real not AI).”
Detwiler famously faked an arrest with help from a Georgia sheriff’s office in 2022 for a video they hoped would “break the internet.” This doesn’t appear to be staged, though, as a worker in the booking department of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to The Drive that Detwiler was “most definitely here” on Wednesday. He also appeared on the jail’s inmate roster.
Local news station WKRN reports that he will be arraigned on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
