Angela Stanton reacts to Apollo Nida’s arrest
A woman who’s been deemed “crazy” for detailing the alleged criminal behavior of Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida says she feels “vindicated” now that Apollo has been arrested. As the public awaits the outcome when Apollo Nida appears in court on identity theft and bank fraud charges next month, author Angela Stanton says she’s already breathing a sigh of relief.
Angela Stanton’s name became associated with the reality TV couple after she released a book titled Lies of a Real Housewife: Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil in 2012 under VIBE publishing. In the book, Stanton alleged that she was befriended by Parks and Nida and lured into their seedy world of criminal activity. Stanton claimed that the couple was involved in forgery, theft and racketeering and ultimately abandoned her after she was arrested for her role in the criminal behavior. Parks moved swiftly after the book’s release and sued VIBE for a whopping $30 million.
Now according to Stanton, news of Apollo’s arrest while unfortunate is a relief. She adds that Nida’s alleged use of a woman named Gayla St. Julien to do his bidding seems all too familiar.
“I read with sadness the news that Phaedra Parks’ husband, Apollo Nida, was arrested for alleged schemes that are remarkably similar to those that lured me years ago,” said Stanton in a statement.
“I was troubled to learn that the alleged crimes involved the use of a vulnerable woman to carry out the schemes. The story is all too familiar to me. I sincerely hope that Ms. Parks has not been part of his alleged crimes. I hope that she, like I, learned from her mistakes,” she added.
She then noted that while she was not sued directly, Parks’ suit against her publisher made her lose royalties and painted her as a delusional liar. For that reason, Stanton sued Parks for defamation, tortious interference with business relationships, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees in 2013.
“Although tragic, the news of Apollo’s arrest has been vindicating for me,” said Stanton.”Since I published my book, Phaedra Parks has used her wealth and influence in an attempt to silence me. She filed lawsuits against my publisher, and threatened them with years of expensive litigation if they did not cease publication of my book. As a result, I lost nearly all the royalties I was owed.
“Ms. Parks used her influence in the media to discredit my story and smear my name, casting me as a delusional liar on the pages of popular blogs,” she added. “After going to prison and losing everything, my story was all I had left, and she took that from me.”
Stanton is currently preparing for a media blitz this week where she’ll share more of her story on the troubled reality TV couple.
-danielle canada
