Season 17 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta is coming soon, but Kelli Ferrell’s ex-husband, Chuvalo “Mark” Ferrell, might have to watch the premiere from a jail cell. He’s once again landed himself in some legal trouble, and this time, it’s not because of unpaid child support. He’s been accused of theft.
Mark Ferrell was taken into custody in Georgia on Tuesday
According to police records reviewed by TMZ, Mark was arrested on Tuesday, March 17, on a felony charge of theft by taking. Details are scarce about what exactly led to the arrest, but it appears as if it was related to an alleged incident that happened back in November.
As RHOA fans know, this isn’t Mark’s first brush with the law. This past December, days before Christmas, a judge threw him in jail over unpaid child support. At the time, he owed Kelli $61,992. They released him a few days later once he agreed to pay up. However, earlier this month, she dragged him back to court over the same thing.
In between all of that legal drama, Mark is also supposedly trying to sue Bravo for defamation. He felt like his portrayal in RHOA Season 16 wasn’t accurate, and accused Kelli of using him as a storyline. He said he wanted to “sue every party” that played a role in painting him out as a villain, so add him to the list of people trying to sue Bravo.
Between this latest arrest, his back-and-forth custody dispute with Kelli, and defamation lawsuit, this man is going to spend most of 2026 inside a courtroom. His lawyers are booked and busy.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 17 premieres on Sunday, April 5 at 8/7c on Bravo. You can stream it the next day on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON MARK’S LATEST LEGAL TROUBLE? ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING KELLI BACK ON SEASON 17?
