Jun. 27 2023, Published 10:30 a.m. ET
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Phaedra Park’s ex-husband Apollo Nida rushed back to court to plead with a judge to reconsider his decision to keep him on probation until next year, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Apollo has asked the court for a second chance to argue his case.
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As we first reported, earlier this month, a federal court judge denied Apollo’s motion to terminate his criminal probation early.
In 2014, Nida was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment followed by 5 years of probation, which includes supervised release. Parks’ husband was facing 30 years in prison but ratted out his associates in exchange for a plea deal with the government.
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Nida played a key role in a massive fraud scheme that involved laundering money through bank accounts. He was ordered to pay millions in restitution to his victims.
In 2019, Nida was released from prison. His 5-year probation ends in 2024 but Nida argued it should end because he’s followed all the rules. In addition, he argued the restrictions in place were making it hard to work in the entertainment industry.
Nida told the court he’s turned his life around since prison. He told the court he coaches youth football and volunteers in the community. His lawyer added his client had passed all drug tests.
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He said he has “maintained a stable residence with his now-wife and has successfully transitioned into society. He has also established a great relationship with his children and spends time with them regularly.”
The reality star argued he has consistently made restitution payments despite still owing $1.9 million to victims. The government opposed the request claiming his restitution bill is too high and said keeping him on probation will “deter” him from committing future crimes.
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The judge agreed with the prosecutors and denied Nida’s motion.
However, now, he’s rearguing his case and trying to convince the judge to change his mind.
In the new motion, Nida said he was not allowed proper time to respond to the government’s opposition. He called himself a “textbook example” of what Congress “intended when” making the law allowing probation to be terminated early.
Nida said he is a “newlywed that has a very stable” residence in Georgia. “He acts as a mentor to local youth. He has been able to re-establish a role in his children’s life and spends time with them regularly,” the motion read.
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Further, he said he does not use or abuse alcohol. Nida said he is gainfully employed on an MTV reality show and has not engaged in any new criminal conduct.
Nida said the restrictions on his travel had prevented him from being able to take gigs overseas. Further, he said he has lost several family members in the past couple of years and has been unable to travel to their gravesites since they are located outside of Georgia — and he can only travel for work purposes.
Nida said he has not been able to “grieve the loss of his family members and loved ones, and this is having a negative impact” on his mental and emotional health.
The ex-RHOA star is pleading for the judge to terminate his probation ASAP!