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Upstate South Carolina real estate developer Ron Rallis – who is being courted as America’s next reality television star – was arrested and charged with contempt of court in connection with his ongoing custody battle.
According to Greenville County booking records, Rallis has been charged with “criminal contempt” – specifically the alleged violation of a gag order imposed by S.C. family court judge Timothy Madden.
Rallis is the estranged husband of Paula Dhier, a businesswoman/ socialite who is the alleged mistress of U.S. congressman William Timmons.
Timmons initiated his own sex scandal last spring via an unsolicited “prayers and privacy” statement issued to this news outlet responding to rumors of an extramarital affair with Dhier. As I have often reminded readers, this news outlet never asked Timmons for a statement – nor did we indicate we had any plans to publish a story on the allegations.
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Timmons’ subsequent angry response to the allegations – and obscene messages sent to Rallis by his family members – quickly fueled a growing conflagration as this saga gripped audiences in the socially conservative Upstate.
In late July of 2022, Rallis walked into a West End Greenville church he purchased – and previously painted pink – and gave me an exclusive interview regarding his starring role in the Timmons’ sex scandal.
When the interview was over, Rallis left to board his private jet and head to the Hamptons …
He was heard from only sporadically since then, however he clearly said or did something which has been interpreted by the court as a violation of his gag order.
Rallis told me last September he had no intention of staying quiet about this custody battle for his daughter, Sterling.
“Hamptons started to get a bit cold so I’m back in South Carolina full-force, brother,” Rallis told me at the time. “I have too much to say that will help people for me to be scared of jail time.”
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Timmons was unopposed in his bid for reelection back in November – although a write-in candidate drew a surprisingly strong 9.19 percent of the vote. The third-term lawmaker is expected to draw credible primary opposition in 2024 after his underwhelming win against token opposition in 2022 (prior to his sex scandal breaking)
Also, the U.S. House ethics committee is reportedly preparing to investigate Timmons over the Dhier scandal and other affair allegations.
Timmons and his wife, Sarah Timmons, formally separated in November 2022.
“It is with both love and mutual respect for one another that we have ultimately made the difficult decision to end our marriage,” a joint statement provided by the couple to The Greenville News noted.
In December, Sarah Timmons posted an image to her Instagram page taken near Mendoza, Argentina – a city in the eastern foothills of the Andes known for its Malbecs and other red wines. The 37-year-old attorney was photographed in a vineyard wearing a dark blue satin midi cutout.
“The best revenge is … sipping Malbecs in the shadow of the Andes,” I noted at the time.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.
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2 comments
Will and his “man crushes” or is it a “bromance”?
but what did he do?