Just a day before the return of his hit series American Chopper, cast member and Orange County Chopper founder Paul Teutul Sr. filed for bankruptcy.
According to the New York Post’s Page Six, Teutul filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in the state of New York, claiming he owes roughly 50 creditors $1,070,893.44 but he’s only worth $1,801,729. He claims he brings in $15,070.93 a month, but monthly expenses eat up $12,612.
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Other expenses Teutul report are a $32,000 judgement against him, a sum of $21,300 to multiple credit card companies, $2,000 in medical bills, and $151,230.98 in taxes to the town of Crawford, New York.
Tuetul’s home, which he claims has a “fee interest” of $1.8 million, is now also in foreclosure.
Teutul’s rep told Page Six that he “is part of the personal restructuring caused by the tax assessment which is a pro-active, not reactive situation which is a positive thing for Mr. Teutul.”
Teutul originally opened Orange County Choppers as part of his steel business, OC Iron Works. American Chopper, a show in which Teutul made custom bikes inside his shop with his son Teutul Jr., debuted on the Discovery Channel back in 2002. The show became a smash hit, running for six seasons across 165 episodes before ending in 2010 after moving to TLC. A spin-off, which saw Teutul Sr. and Teutul Jr. competing against one another for business, came about after the latter left the company. American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior ran for four seasons and 70 episodes from 2010-12.
Celebrities who own custom made-motorcycles from the Teutuls include Will Smith, Bill Murray, Jay Leno, President Donald Trump, Lance Armstrong and Russell Crowe. Sports teams such as the New York Jets, New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals have also had custom bikes made by the famous duo.
After several years away from television, American Chopper is returning to Discovery Channel with a sneak peak of the new season on Thursday night. The new season will begin airing weekly, starting May 28.
On top of the show debuting and filing for bankruptcy, Teutul also finds himself being sued by a business partner. Thomas Derbyshire, who helped fund Teutul Sr.’s 2015 A&E show Orange County Choppers: American Made, claims the motorcycle specialist used funds for the show for personal expenses.
The lengthy list of accusations against Teutul include halting production for fishing trips, refusing to film with Sons of Anarchy star Rusty Coones, funding Teutul’s son Michael’s salary and making a number of side deals without alerting Derbyshire.
