TMZ reports that "Real Housewives of Atlanta" hubby Apollo Nida went ballistic in front of "Real Housewives" cameras with his wife Phaedra Parks over not placing funds in his prison account and didn't report to federal prison by the U.S. Marshal's deadline of noon, Wednesday, Sept. 10.
As of 4:30 p.m. EST, TMZ said he was "AWOL." Earlier, TMZ also reported that there has been tension between Parks and Nida the past couple of months. He felt she hasn't supported her, choosing to go on book tours instead, while she feels he is focused more on partying than spending time with them. I have reached out to Nida's attorney, who has not responded.
A Parks' spokesman Steve Honig confirmed there was some sort of "incident" at the house today but didn't provide details. The Bureau of Prisons inmate locator confirms that as of 9 p.m. EST, he was not in their custody. His inmate locator number is 65725-019.
UPDATE: A person who identified himself as a Nida spokesman emailed me to say Nida did finally enter the minimum security federal prison in Lexington, Ky. early this morning. Nida posted this Twitter message at around 3 a.m. Sept. 11:
And he provided an Instagram video, too:
According to his attorney Thomas Bever after the sentencing, Nida could get as much as 15 percent off his eight years for good behavior. That means he could leave prison more than 13 months earlier - or in 2021 instead of 2022. Regardless, after he leaves prison, he'll have five years probation and be required to pay restitution of about $1.9 million.
Parks' spokesman provided this statement to CNN: "Phaedra is now putting all of her energy into ensuring the well-being of her two children and making decisions that are in their best interests. This situation has put a tremendous strain on Phaedra and her family, and she is working hard to bring back a sense of normalcy to everyone's lives."
Nida, 35, has done some press since his sentencing in July.
In a case of unlikeliest publication to delve into the world of "Real Housewives of Atlanta," please enter exhibit A: Forbes magazine.
The home where Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and the Titans of Finance are regularly featured, Nida sat down to talk about his life choices that led him into white-collar schemes that cost individuals, the government and financial institutions more than $2 million over four years. He is scheduled to enter federal prison today for eight years after being charged with bank fraud and ID theft.
The Forbers contributor Kelly Richmond Pope and her colleague Dr. April Harris-Britt did the interview and came away feeling more empathic about his situation than when they first entered the room.
"Dr. Harris-Britt and I have both concluded that this reality personality presents a facade that is quite complex and very different from the caricature that Bravo has created." They found him to be "an articulate, driven, complicated, African American male who lived by the rules of the street instead of the laws prescribed by our judicial system."
On the show, he comes across as a smart, nice dude but also a bit of a party animal who likes strip clubs and flirted needlessly with cast member Kenya Moore.
He told Forbes: "I wish I could start over; do the right thing; possibly go to college and get a degree; and overall make better decisions." He later added, "I wanted to live an honest life. I really did. I should have stuck to my guns."
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" started taping its current season more than two months ago so there will be plenty of footage of Apollo as he and his wife Phaedra Parks grapple with what he had done and the punishment meted out. He was participating in the show up in recent days, Forbes said, but was unable to see his sons Ayden and Dylan, who he said he will miss dearly.
Parks has said nothing specifically about her husband's predicament in public. In a radio interview, Nida had doubts whether his marriage will survive his time in prison. He and Parks married in 2009 soon after he got out of prison for a six-year stint for auto title fraud and racketeering. He quickly returned to the world of crime that year and the feds nabbed him in September, 2013. He was sentenced in July. The couple then had their two sons.
"Real Housewives of Atlanta" returns for a seventh season in October though I don't think Bravo has announced a start date just yet. The entire season six cast is returning, along with two news faces: actress Demetria McKinney as a full-blown cast member and Kenya Moore's friend and recurring character Claudia Jordan, a new member of Rickey Smiley's morning show.
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