Popular automotive YouTuber Cody Detwiler, better known as WhistlinDiesel to his 10 million subscribers, found himself on the wrong side of the law this week. The 27-year-old content creator was arrested on November 12, 2025, on felony tax evasion charges related to his $400,000 Ferrari F8 Tributo. The irony? It’s the same supercar that eventually burned to a crisp in a Texas cornfield, racking up millions of views in the process.
Tennessee authorities charged Detwiler with two counts of Class E felony tax evasion for allegedly dodging approximately $28,000 in state sales tax. He was released the same day after posting a hefty $2 million bond. True to form, the YouTuber responded with characteristic defiance on Instagram, sharing security footage of his arrest with the caption: “Won so big they thought I was cheating. (100 percent real, not AI).”
So what exactly landed WhistlinDiesel in hot water? Prosecutors allege he used what’s commonly known as the “Montana LLC scheme” to avoid paying Tennessee’s sales tax on his Ferrari purchase in January 2023.
Here’s how the scheme works. Montana charges no state sales tax and has minimal registration fees. Wealthy vehicle owners can form a Limited Liability Corporation in Montana for as little as $35 to $100, register their expensive vehicles through the company, and avoid tens of thousands of dollars in home-state taxes. For Detwiler’s $400,000 Ferrari, that meant potentially saving over $27,000, since Tennessee’s 7% sales tax would’ve cost him approximately $28,080.
The setup is surprisingly simple. You don’t even need to set foot in Montana. Specialised companies handle everything remotely, from LLC formation to vehicle registration, all for around $1,000. Your Montana LLC gets the same rights as a state resident, allowing it to purchase and register vehicles without sales tax obligations.
Multiple videos showed Detwiler’s Ferrari sporting Montana license plates, which became the smoking gun for Tennessee tax authorities. While this practice might be legal under Montana law, most states, including Tennessee, consider it tax evasion when residents deliberately circumvent their home state’s requirements.
What the Charges Mean for WhistlinDiesel
The indictment, sworn before a Williamson County Grand Jury on November 5, accuses Detwiler of unlawfully and willfully attempting to “evade or defeat any tax due the State of Tennessee for five hundred dollars or more.” That’s legal speak for allegedly dodging $28,000 in sales tax.
Each of his two felony counts carries serious weight. We’re talking potential prison sentences of one to six years per count and fines up to $3,000. Beyond criminal penalties, he faces substantial civil consequences, including the full $28,000 in back taxes, penalties up to 25% of the unpaid amount, accrued interest, and potentially a 100% fraud penalty if prosecutors prove intentional fraud.
Detwiler was booked at the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office at 12:30 PM and released just three hours later at 3:24 PM after posting bond. He’s scheduled for arraignment on November 19, 2025, where he’ll enter his plea, and the case’s trajectory will become clearer.
The Ferrari That Started It All
The 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo at the heart of this case didn’t just attract tax investigators; it also drew the attention of law enforcement. It became internet famous for all the wrong reasons (or right ones, depending on your perspective). Detwiler purchased the 710-horsepower, mid-engine supercar with only 3,000 miles specifically to “destroy it” and provoke Ferrari, a company notorious for controlling how customers use their vehicles.
His destruction series was methodical and unapologetic. In February 2023, he posted, “I bought a $400,000 Ferrari just to destroy it,” opening with a mockery of Ferrari’s reputation for being litigious. What followed was automotive sacrilege: jumping on the carbon fibre roof, defacing Ferrari badges with Sharpie, shoving water bottles through aerodynamic vents, smashing through farm fences, off-roading through mud, and subjecting the supercar to repeated violent abuse.
The finale came on August 4, 2023, in a scorching 115°F Waco, Texas cornfield. While performing high-speed donuts through dried corn stalks, debris accumulated around the Ferrari’s hot brakes and exhaust system. Fire erupted, quickly engulfing the exotic and spreading to a rental Chrysler Pacifica used for filming. Both vehicles burned to complete losses despite desperate firefighting attempts with water bottles and energy drinks.
Detwiler admitted carrying only minimal liability insurance, resulting in a total uninsured loss exceeding $500,000. He later shredded the charred remains and sold debris in acrylic cubes to fans, recovering $166,000. The three Ferrari videos ultimately accumulated 44 million views, turning vehicle destruction into profitable entertainment and apparently drawing unwanted attention from Tennessee tax authorities.
When Detwiler’s mugshot went viral on November 13, immediate scepticism arose. After all, he staged a fake arrest with a Georgia sheriff’s office in 2022 for a video intended to go viral and “break the internet.” But this time was different.
