I know that many of you are familiar with my partner, Marof Montanary, aka Frenchy / @thelordfatquads.

On the night of September 10th, Marof and I were headed to Omaha, Nebraska, to attend a friend's wedding. However, in the middle of the night, what we thought was going to be a very simple traffic stop turned into one of the worst nights of our lives. Who we initially thought were police officers, turned out to be ICE agents. These agents separated him from me and our three dogs, interrogated us both, and took him away from our family right there on the side of the highway. They placed him in shackles by his hands and feet, and he has now been transferred to a detention facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. Our lives have been completely turned upside down.

I know that many of you know Marof as a very dedicated bodybuilder with big dreams of stepping onto the Mr. Olympia stage. There’s so much more to him that many of you may not know. Marof has one of the most beautiful hearts that you'll probably ever come to meet, filled with charisma and an endless drive to serve others. He is so deeply embedded inside of communities nationwide, and internationally. He is somebody that believes in community and supporting others. He's the friend you can call on and expect to answer the phone, the friend that'll show up on your door on a whim to help you, the friend that would give you his last penny if he had to, and he’s the person that has saved my life.

Marof has the heart of an angel. He has focused so much of his life on helping others that, unfortunately, it has led him to the place he is in now by not focusing enough on helping himself and protecting his safety. Even inside the detention center, he's using his skills to help other people who are worse off than he is.

We are facing an uphill battle to get Marof home. Immigration legal defenses and upcoming court and filing processes are astronomically expensive. Specialized immigration lawyers routinely cost between $25,000 - $30,000. A dear friend of his has already stepped up to help retain a lawyer, and both my friend and I have poured everything we possibly can into covering these upfront costs, but we have officially hit our limit.

To navigate this as efficiently as possible without compounding an already crushing financial and legal trap inside detention, Marof is moving forward with a structured voluntary self-deportation. While none of us want him to have to go home, we made this decision together with legal counsel because it is the most pragmatic way to clear the hurdle. This is part of our long-term plan to bring him back to the U.S. permanently: it clears the path so we can move forward with our marriage plans, file his petition, and legally bring him home for good without leaving him indefinitely trapped inside a facility, watching his health decline. To bridge the gap, cover his ongoing legal expenses across multiple steps, and handle the heavy financial obligations piling up while he is detained, every dollar raised will directly cover:

• Accumulating legal expenses to navigate this process. 
• Accumulated debt and living expenses piling up (including missed payments, bills, and lease or transition costs). 
• Finishing paying off his car and keeping his phone active so we can coordinate logistics and stay connected. 
• Re-establishment expenses abroad, including baseline clothing (since he can't take much with him) and getting him back on his feet. 

We're asking for our community's help. If you're able to donate anywhere between $50 - $100, or whatever you can possibly spare, please know that we're deeply and endlessly grateful for any contribution no matter how small or large as this makes a monumental difference. If you aren't in a position to give financially, sharing this page or keeping us in your thoughts means the world. Please consider supporting this campaign as a wedding gift to help us get Marof through this transition, clear his accumulated debt, and lay the groundwork to bring him back to where he belongs - home, safe, permanently building our future together, caring for his dogs, and chasing his dreams. We have a long battle ahead of us, so your support is deeply appreciated.

With all our gratitude,

Cassandra Beattie and Marof Montanary