Tom Selleck Accused of Stealing Thousands of Gallons of Water in California

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=&searchterm=tom%20selleck&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=104749064">Helga Esteb </a>/Shutterstock

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


How much water does it take to groom Tom Selleck’s mustache? Truckloads, apparently.

In the midst of an unprecedented four-year drought, the actor is at the center of a lawsuit accusing him of re-routing thousands of gallons of water from a public hydrant to be sent to his 60-acre ranch in Southern California.

According to the lawsuit filed by the Calleguas Municipal Water District on Monday, on numerous occasions a private investigator spotted a truck filling up with water from the hydrant and delivering it to Selleck’s home.

Selleck allegedly continued to do so even after several cease-and-desist notices were sent to him, the newly filed court documents claim.

Now the water district is hoping to permanently block Selleck from continuing the water-delivery scheme and repay it for the investigators’ $21,685.55 fees.

Since new restrictions on water use were instituted in the state, celebrities and the wealthy residing in California who have watered their lawns excessively and ignored the caps have been targeted with so-called “drought-shaming” techniques on social media as a way to expose residents who appear to waste water.

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate