Apollo Nida, the husband of Real Housewives of Atlanta star and attorney Phaedra Parks, has been charged with bank fraud and identity theft, according to TMZ and CBS News.
TMZ reported that Nida is accused of creating fake companies that gave him access to databases holding personal information about real people. He is then alleged to have opened bank accounts in the names of those victims and to have gotten hold of stolen checks, including U.S. Treasury checks, retirement checks meant for Delta Airlines employees and checks owed to people with unclaimed tax money. TMZ says Nida has already made an appearance in federal court.
CBS News reported that authorities were led to Nida by a woman named Gayla, who was arrested in September 2013 by the Secret Service after a seven month investigation. Authorities say she opened at least 40 bank accounts under stolen identities as part of a bank and check fraud operation totaling about $3 million. Gayla reportedly told investigators that Nida organized many of the schemes dating back to 2009.
CBS also noted that Nida previously served time in prison for violating federal racketeering laws tied to auto title fraud. He was released in 2009 and married Parks shortly after.
A charge is an accusation, not a conviction, and Nida is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise. We did not see a public response from Nida or Parks in the initial reports. We will pass along anything they say.
