’90 Day Fiancé’: Geoffrey Paschel Parts Ways With His High-Profile Defense Attorney as He Faces Jail Time Until His 62nd Birthday

On 90 Day Fiancé, couples have 90 days to settle their relationship enough to where one of the pair is eligible for a K-1 visa, available to fiancés of American citizens. Unfortunately, not all goes according to plan for some couples. Some couples have broken up because of legal troubles. This is the case with American Geoffrey Paschel, who brought over a Russian woman, Varya, to marry.

Geoffrey Paschel faces 18 years in prison

Geoffrey Paschel appeared in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days as the American side of a couple. He hoped to get his love interest, Varya Malina, into the country on a K-1 visa. Right now, all she can do is visit him in prison.

In February 2022, Paschel was convicted of aggravated kidnapping, domestic assault, and interference with an emergency call. Insider notes the case stemmed from domestic violence charges in 2019 regarding his relationship with ex-fiance Kristen Wilson Chapman. He received an 18-year prison sentence without the possibility of parole.

While Paschel has been in prison, the personal trainer has been writing his autobiography and receiving visits from his current fianceé Varya, as Starcasm reports.

Geoffrey Paschel’s conviction is currently on appeal

As of September 2022, Paschel’s case is on appeal. However, the filing of the appeal was not made by his original lawyer, Gregory Isaacs. Isaacs is a top-rated criminal defense lawyer in Knoxville, as Super Lawyers reports.

Instead, the filing was made by M. Jeffrey Whitt and Richard L. Gaines, two unrelated Knoxville attorneys. Issacs makes regular appearances on Court TV, showing up before and after Paschel’s trial. Chapman testified at the trial, which also appeared on Court TV, relating the horrific events of how Paschel abused and assaulted her.

How long will the reality TV personality have to wait before the appeal moves forward? Legal experts believe it may be early 2023 before anything else happens. Until then, he’ll wait in jail and write more of his book.

This latest legal move follows a denial of a motion for a new trial, the preliminary step needed to file an appeal of the conviction. 

If Paschel serves his entire sentence, he’ll be 62 when he gets out of prison.