Popular YouTuber Arrested for Tax Evasion
A well-known YouTube personality has been taken into custody on charges of tax evasion after splurging on a $400,000 Ferrari and subsequently filming its destruction in a fire.
Cody Detwiler, 27, who boasts over 10 million followers on his “WhistlinDiesel” channel, is facing accusations of two felony counts related to the sales tax on a 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo he acquired in January 2023, as reported by authorities.
This incident aligns with Detwiler’s video from August 2023, where he documented the Ferrari being engulfed in flames during a wildfire, cheekily titled “Fastest way to lose $500,000. My Ferrari is gone.”
In that viral clip, which has accumulated over 16 million views, he described the incident as a “complete accident,” claiming the car was reduced to ashes, all captured in a professionally produced video.
The indictment dated November 5 states that Detwiler and his business, Wistrin Diesel LLC, allegedly “unlawfully attempted to evade or nullify more than $500 in Tennessee taxes.”
Detwiler was arrested last Wednesday and processed at the Williamson County Jail in Franklin, Tennessee, according to court documents.
He later posted a video on social media. “Yes, I’m under arrest. This is 100% real. Six police officers showed up at my door and said they had a warrant for ‘tax evasion,’” he shared in the video’s caption.
He expressed confusion over the charges, stating, “I have always paid all my taxes, but I still don’t know what this is for. I have not received any notice leading up to this.”
Following his arrest, he was released the same day and is set to appear in court on Wednesday.
A clip featuring the burning car shows Detwiler looking both shocked and amused as flames engulfed the vehicle behind him.
In addition to his content, Detwiler frequently features extreme stunts with cars, including another vehicle that caught fire while driving alongside the Ferrari in a field.
He expressed in the video caption, “Unfortunately, I would like to inform everyone that my $400,000 Ferrari F8 and rental minivan with only 5,000 miles on the clock were recently destroyed in a fire. This was a complete accident, and although we originally intended to film a lot more with the car, this was a great lesson that we have to do even crazier things before the car bursts into flames.”
