Now that the federal case against Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Apollo Nida, 35, has ended in a conviction, the focus is shifting to his alleged co-conspirators — one of whom may or may not be his wife, local attorney and RHOA star Phaedra Parks.
Apollo was sentenced to 8 years in prison on Wednesday for conspiring to to commit mail, wire and bank fraud in a complex fraud scheme which spanned over four years and harmed over 50 victims.
Apollo will remain free for another 2 months. But he cannot appeal his conviction due to his plea deal.
A source who sat in on yesterday’s court proceedings said Apollo’s mom stood up in the packed courtroom and pleaded with the judge to have mercy on her son AND on his wife, Phaedra.
The implication is that Phaedra may be brought up on federal charges.
My source said the federal case has driven a permanent wedge between Apollo and Phaedra.
“I spoke to Apollo after the hearing and he states to me that him and Phaedra are basically over and she didn’t even show up in court,” said my source.
“Identity theft continues to be a focus for my office as thieves continue to refine devious schemes to exploit our citizens,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “This defendant organized two separate fake collection agencies, used them to harvest data from databases like Equifax and LexisNexis, and then deployed that data in identity theft attacks tailored to the vulnerabilities and characteristics of each victim.”
“Today’s sentencing exemplifies impartial justice regardless of economic class or perceived celebrity status. Nida’s sentence should be an eye opener for other like-minded criminals who scheme to steal victims’ identities, defraud them and ignore the consequences of their actions,” said Reginald G. Moore, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office.
