Why Vili Fualaau filed for separation from Mary Kay Letourneau

Vili Fualaau's recent request for a legal separation from his wife, disgraced former teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, reportedly has to do with business, not a lack of love.

The 33-year-old told Radar Online that the move was intended to help him get into the marijuana business as a licensed distributor of a smokeable product called "Cigaweed."

He told the site, "When you want to get licensed, they do background checks on both parties. If I decide to be a part of it I have to be licensed and I have to be vetted and so does a spouse. She has a past. She has a history."

In 1996, the couple made headlines after Letourneau was caught having sexual relations with Fualaau when he was just 12 years old, notes People.

The New York Post reports that as punishment, she was incarcerated for seven years and is permanently required to be on the sex offender registry.

Nevertheless, the pair ultimately married in 2005 and ended up having two kids together.

Despite Fualaau's explanation about why he filed for a legal separation, an inside source told People, "They've been having issues for a while now. They tried to work through them, but it didn't work. They're still committed to being good parents to their children."

Adding to the confusion, TMZ reported last week that Letourneau had "filed a bizarre petition with the court to have her husband's separation case dismissed."

However, the site says she did not provide a reason or basis for her legal action.