Apollo Nida Raises Red Flag with Restitution Payments

Nine years ago former Real Housewives of Atlanta cast mate Phaedra Parks' now ex-husband, Apollo Nida, was sentenced to 8 years in prison and ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution after pleading guilty to identity theft and fraud charges [click here if you missed that].

Now Apollo is under suspicion for paying his restitution in cash...

From Radar Online

Apollo Nida is pleading with a federal judge to terminate his 5-year probation early, but prosecutors are opposing the request because he still owes “the vast majority of the $1.9 million in restitution” to the victims of his wire fraud scheme that landed him in prison, according to court documents.

“In light of how difficult to detect the style of complex fraud he has practiced in the past is, it is very important to protect the public by maintaining the full deterrent effect of supervised release for as long as originally ordered,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Alana R. Black stated in a June 14, 2023, filing opposing to the early release.

The feds admit they are leery of the $120,000 cash payments Nida made thus far to pay off the fine.

“Interestingly, all of the money orders were paid for in cash, even though the (U.S.) Postal Service allows the purchase of money orders with debit cards and people with bank accounts typically find that option more convenient,” Black wrote. “Nida’s choice to use cash to buy the restitution money orders is not illegal and does not mean that he is engaging in fraud.”

“However, that choice does effectively cut off the evidentiary chain that would otherwise allow the government to make further inquiries into the source of funds from which he is making the restitution payments.”