According to a trusted court source, Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Apollo Nida pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud. Nida is heading back to prison.
Last month, a federal judge sentenced Nida’s female accomplice, Gayla St. Julien, to 5 years and 1 month in a federal prison.
In his court appearance today, Apollo blamed himself for his legal troubles. “It was a dumb situation I put myself in,” he said.
Apollo left prison in 2009 after serving 5 years on federal racketeering charges connected with an auto theft ring. He married local attorney Phaedra Parks, who was cast in the reality series Real Housewives of Atlanta that same year.
Nida said Phaedra’s reality show paycheck ($600,000) put pressure on him to keep up with her because she was making more money than him.
He claimed he told Phaedra that his income was from his legitimate debt recovery business. He claims he kept her in the dark about his illegal side hustles.
Like most men with over sized ego, Apollo said he didn’t think about whether he was hurting anybody because he was ripping off banks and federal institutions, not individuals.
“It’s my fault at the end of the day,” he said. “I got sucked in and engulfed and lost sight of things.”Apollo will be sentenced in July.
Media Takeout Reports"
Apollo Nida plead GUILTY in federal court of orchestrating a $2.3 million complex criminal enterprise spanning four years and harming over 50 victims.
According to the U.S. attorney, the stolen checks involved in the scheme included United States Treasury Checks, as well as checks stolen from the pension funds of Delta Airlines. In addition, the conspirators obtained funds by filing fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service and making fraudulent claims against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Nida, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail, wire and bank fraud. He apologized to the court, and said he takes full responsibility for his actions. "I was doing it to sustain a lifestyle and everything that was going on," Nida said.
A female co-conspirator was convicted and sentence last month to five years in prison. Nida's sentencing is scheduled for July. The former reality TV star faces up to 30 years in prison.
We're told that as ONE of the conditions of Apollo's GUILTY PLEA, federal prosecutors have agreed to STOP any and all investigations into his wife Phaedra – who was NOT believed to have any involvement in Apollo's crimes.
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