Debt Collection Scammer/Reality TV Husband Gets 8 Years in Prison

A man accused of setting up a debt collection agency for the sole purpose of stealing personal information, and then using that information in an identity theft scheme, was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison on federal bank, mail, and wire fraud charges.

Apollo Nida launched a debt collection agency shortly after being released from prison where he served a six-year sentence for auto theft. But rather than taking accounts from clients, and then trying to collect, the business operated solely to gain access to consumer information databases.

Nida then used the information to steal identities, posing as others to collect unclaimed funds. The funds he targeted included refunds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the IRS, and U.S. Treasury.

An accomplice set up various fake UPS mailboxes and banking accounts using the stolen identities. When the checks came in from the claims, they were cashed under the fake identities and pocketed by Nida and his accomplice. That person, Gayla St. Julien, eventually led investigators to Nida.

Nida is the husband of Phaedra Parks, one of the “stars” of reality TV show “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Nida actually used that fact to explain his actions.

He claimed that when he was released from prison following the car theft stint, he struggled to find work and felt he needed to “keep up” with his wife financially. Parks was a high-profile attorney before she started appearing on the TV series.

But the judge stuck to the sentencing guidelines suggested by prosecutors (92 – 115 months) and gave Nida a 96-month sentence.

“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, in a press release.