The Real-Life Legal Issues Of Blue Bloods Star Tom Selleck, Explained

Tom Selleck is synonymous with playing cops in popular TV shows, so it's understandable why some viewers might assume that he's a model citizen who embodies the moral fabric of his upstanding characters. After all, he's one of the lead stars of "Blue Bloods," a show some critics have accused of being "copaganda" for seemingly loving the law too much. However, playing convincing cops on the small screen wasn't enough to prevent the actor from having to hand over some serious money to the Calleguas Water District after allegedly being naughty in 2015.

According to NBC News, Selleck was ordered to pay $21,685,55 after he allegedly hired a private company to take money from a fire hydrant and deliver it to his ranch in Hidden Valley. Unfortunately, his ranch wasn't hidden enough, as a private investigator uncovered the delivery plot and Selleck was subsequently sued as a result. It's believed that the "Blue Bloods" alum received 12 deliveries dating back to 2013, made worse by the fact that they occurred during a drought.

No criminal charges were filed against Selleck, and the case was settled out of court. However, the actor might not have known he was in the wrong at all, so let's not judge him harshly quite yet.

Tom Selleck's alleged water scheme doesn't compare to some of Frank Reagan's worst moments on "Blue Bloods," as some folks argue that he didn't do anything wrong at all. The Los Angeles Times noted that Jay Spurgin — who served as Thousand Oaks' Director of Public Works at the time when the scandal went down — argued that the water acquired from the aforementioned hydrant was legally paid for.

Spurgin said that it isn't uncommon for construction companies to get meters that allow them to access water from hydrants and sell it to third parties, provided that they pay a monthly bill. With that in mind, Selleck could have bought water with the understanding that he was purchasing it from a company that was allowed to sell it. Selleck hasn't commented on the scandal since it happened, so there's no telling what was going through his mind when he entered into the agreement.

The actor's legal troubles clearly didn't ruin his upstanding rep too much either. In fact, Selleck's work on "Blue Bloods" earned him some law enforcement cred in real life, suggesting that he's well thought of in respectable circles.