The latest man who’s been swept up in the chaos that seems to regularly surround Britney Spears’ is Paul Soliz Jr., her 37-year-old handyman and possible lover.
But a new report shows that Soliz, identified as a participant in Spears’ reported meltdown at the Chateau Marmont last week, has been dealing with plenty of personal chaos of his own.
According to the Daily Mail and other outlets, Soliz is on probation for a felony firearms possession conviction. He also has angry wife and a self-described “handful” of children — as many as 10, his mother-in-law has said. His wife, Nicole Mancilla, told the Daily Mail he cheated on her with Spears and has failed to pay child support for at least five of his children.
Mancilla also complained that Soliz still tries to visit her at her mother’s home in Sylmar, a suburb north of Los Angeles.
“He’s the EBT Nick Cannon,” Mancilla told the Daily Mail, referring to Electronic Benefits Transfer cards, which allow people to access government-provided food benefits. Cannon, meanwhile, is the TV host who has 12 children with multiple women.
Mancilla told the Daily Mail that Soliz has been living with Spears, but keeps his official residence at a bungalow a few blocks away from her home. Mancilla and her five children live with her mother, 60-year-old surgical assistant Sandra Smith, in Smith’s three-bed Sylmar townhouse.
“He has 10 kids. He doesn’t support any of them,” Smith told the Daily Mail. “They have a 1-year-old together and he doesn’t even pay attention to that one either.”
“He’s a deadbeat dad,” Smith continued. “I wouldn’t let him see the kids if it was me. She does, because she wants them to have a dad. But I wouldn’t want a dad like that.”
Soliz’s personal life is under scrutiny because he was with Spears last week at the Chateau Marmont, where a woman matching Spears’ description created a disturbance by harassing and threatening hotel employees and guests, according to TMZ.
Soliz and Spears then moved to a suite in the famed hotel where they got into a “big fight,” during which Spears was screaming and “out of control,” leaving guests alarmed that she was having a mental breakdown, TMZ also said. First responders were called, but Spears was photographed, wrapped in a blanket, leaving the hotel on her own.
Spears later tried to downplay the incident on Instagram, denying reports of a fight and saying she twisted her ankle in a fall. But the reports about her wild night at the Chateau Marmont have fueled speculation that the embattled singer is struggling with another serious mental health crisis, blowing through her fortune or is in need of a new conservatorship.
The Chateau Marmont incident also has put the spotlight back on Soliz. He’s been romantically linked to Spears in recent months, following her split from husband Sam Asghari in August, the Daily Mail said. Soliz began working for Spears a year ago, with Us Weekly saying he was hired to do routine maintenance work.
It’s not clear if the relationship is serious, with an insider telling the Daily Mail that they aren’t officially dating. “They had a short fling after Sam left but that was it,” the insider said.
But clearly, Spears has continued to associate with Soliz, raising concerns among her friends, Us Weekly said.
“They have tried for months to tell her to stop associating with him but the more they tell her to stay away, it has the reverse effect,” a source told Us Weekly. “She isn’t listening to them.”
Us Weekly also reported that Soliz has a lengthy criminal record, including charges for multiple misdemeanors including disturbing the peace, child endangerment and driving without a license.
In December 2020, Soliz was arrested for possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful possession of ammunition, Us Weekly reported. Soliz pleaded no contest, served 90 days in jail and was sentenced to two years probation.
In September 2023, a reporter for the paparazzi photo agency Backgrid caught up with Soliz outside the San Fernando Superior Court, where he reportedly appeared for a probation violation, the Daily Mail reported. At the time, Soliz insisted he wasn’t a “bad dude.” He also revealed that he has a “handful of children” and that one of the mothers had died.
“I have custody of my children, I’m not a bad dude,” Soliz said, according to the Daily Mail. “I own my own business. I do licensed contractor technique tile.”
But Mancilla and her mother have offered a different take on Soliz’s approach to parenting, which should add to the concerns of Spears’ friends.
The Daily Mail reported that it was not able to find public records confirming that Mancilla and Soliz are married. But the outlet said it found court records showing the Soliz was indeed ordered in March to pay at least $1,100 in monthly child support, plus 50% of healthcare costs, for three children, ages 9 to 21 months. The order was in response to a complaint brought by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family services.
Other court records show that a Los Angeles judge determined in September 2021 that Soliz also was the father of two other children, ages 17 and 6, while he also was the subject of a 2019 complaint from Los Angeles County, saying he should pay $615 in monthly child support for 5-year-old twins he had with another woman.