Former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Parks’ ex-husband, Apollo Nida, had his request to conclude his 5-year probation early denied by a federal court judge in Georgia, Radar Online reported.
Nida’s five-year probation will supposedly end in 2024. But the divorcee wanted to bump up the probation’s end date because it purportedly interfered with his career.
Nida received an 8-year sentence and was released on a 5-year probation with supervised release in 2014 after being found guilty of scheming innocent people by laundering money through multiple bank accounts.
He and others involved in the fraud scheme researched victims through databases like LexisNexis and Equifax. They impersonated and stole their identities to open multiple bank accounts in the victims’ names, reportedly 40 accounts.
Nida dodged an initial 30-year sentence by allegedly snitching on his crime partner Gayla St. Julien, 44, and others to the FBI, reducing his sentence to eight years. He was released in 2019. The judge added that he had to pay $1.9 million in restitution toward his victims.
The reality star only has one more year, but he seemingly can’t wait long because his restrictions allegedly prevent him from executing his entertainer duties, like traveling. He also has to get approval for work.
Nida emphasized that he wouldn’t re-offend and has changed his life completely. He listed his good deeds like coaching a youth football team and volunteering in his community.
Nida mentioned he passed all his drug tests since his release and “maintained a stable residence with his now-wife and has successfully transitioned into society.” The 44-year-old claimed he has “a great relationship with his children and spends time with them regularly.”
Additionally, he was keeping up with his restitution payments.
Despite his well-doings, prosecutors disagreed with the early release from probation for a couple of reasons. First, the $1.9 million restitution money he still owed his fraud victims. Second, prosecutors believed early release would lead the 44-year-old to re-offend. They argued that the reality star should complete the full probation to “deter” him from returning to another fraud scheme.
The judge recognized that Nida had followed the terms of his supervised release, specifically the restitution payments. However, the court sided with the prosecutors because they felt their argument held more value and ultimately denied his request.
On the bright side, Nida isn’t in jail and has only one more year of probation. Plus, his criminal record didn’t deter him from working. It’s a win!
