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Back in June ’06, we recounted the tale of local Mr. Olpympia Phil Busch, who sued Pat Robertson in Dallas federal court over a weight-loss shake sold via The 700 Club. Long story, but Busch, who also sued Jon Stewart in ’06, was mad because he claimed Robertson was using his slimmed-down image to sell the stuff. And, man, was he serious about taking down Robertson: “Look in my eyes,” he told former Observer-er Rick Kennedy. “This ain’t no goddamn game. He wants to come after me? Bring it fuckin’ on.” A year later, the case was tossed out — and that, so it seemed, was that.
Except, no, no it wasn’t: Our sister paper in Miami sends word of a follow-up that finds Busch in South Florida on charges of tax evasion and much, much more:
When Busch’s suit was summarily dismissed in 2007, his tenuous career as a pro-muscle man fell apart. Busch and his wife, Christine Whitman, both unemployed, began filing tens of thousands of dollars in bogus tax claims that eventually totaled $18.6 million in returns, IRS investigators say.
The IRS moved in to arrest the couple in early February. Whitman surrendered, but Busch went on the lam.
On February 16, Busch used his wife’s cell phone to call Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Miami International Airport. Using the name of the FBI agent who was tracking him, Busch told operators: “There are bombs in every terminal.”
Except, bad for Busch, the feds traced the cell signal. He’s on his way back to Texas, where federal officials were not quoted as saying, “Bring it fuckin’ on.”
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