Leave it to social media to drum up a scandal!
Earlier today Simon Guobadia’s court documents surfaced online showing that he was denied U.S. Citezen ship because of what they call a ‘criminal past’.
According to sources–Court documents cited Simon’s history as the grounds for rejecting his citizenship application.
Beginning in August 1982, he overstayed his visa. Subsequently, in September 1987, he pleaded guilty to felony bank and credit card fraud.
In January 1989, he faced charges for unauthorized vehicle use, followed by an arrest in 1990 for identity fraud.
Despite these legal troubles, his criminal activity persisted, with further instances of credit card and identity fraud in 1991.
His persistence led to his eventual physical expulsion from the United States.
Yet, before his deportation, he resorted to using a false identity to obtain temporary residency under the Special Agricultural Worker (SAW) program.
As part of the program, his temporary resident status was upgraded to permanent after a waiting period. In December 2022, Simon tried to leverage the SAW Program benefits to qualify for naturalization, but the U.S. rejected his application because he entered the program using a fake identity!
It’s worth noting that even his marriages were deemed fraudulent in these court documents!
Simon lodged a prompt complaint on March 13, 2023, urging the court to nullify the denial and order a reconsideration with directions to approve his application.
Read below:
Social media reacts:
Simon Guobadia, Husband Of ‘RHOA’ Star Porsha Williams, Recently Denied U.S. Citizenship Due To Criminal Past Involving Felonies For Bank Fraud, Credit Card Fraud, Identity Fraudhttps://t.co/MVYpeDbaOj
— LeClara E Whitlock (@YLiana_Ysrayl) February 18, 2024
and
Simon Guobadia was doing cc fraud and isn’t a citizen?! 2024 it’s only February ?
— That/Girl (@cia_atl) February 18, 2024
and
Porsha Williams, what is this?
Federal immigration judge CONFIRMS new husband Simon Guobadia is a SCAMMER and 2x FELON, history of fake identities.
BACKGROUND
case arises out of Petitioner’s application for United States citizenship and naturalization. USCIS denied… pic.twitter.com/Q6BwhntE2N— HonorableSienna (@HonorableSienna) February 18, 2024
and
#RHOA #PorshaWilliams husband #SimonGuobadia is a scammer according to court docs and used multiple aliases after deportation pic.twitter.com/Nn5uiVnH2P
— All Tea All Shade (@TeaTimeTips2) February 18, 2024
Who is Simon Guobadia
According to PEOPLE Guobadia was born on June 2, 1964, in Nigeria.
He has seven younger siblings and immigrated to the United States in 1982.
In September 2021, Guobadia took Williams to his home country, where she shared videos and photos of the trip on Instagram.
“What an absolutely beautiful welcoming by the people of Benin here in the home of the honorable Chief Gabriel Igbinedion,” she captioned the post, adding, “This is the city that raised my fiancé and I’m so blessed to come back and have this experience with him.”
He’s the founder and CEO of a petroleum company
In 2007, Guobadia founded Simon & Company — now called Simcol Petroleum Limited Company, which supplies refined fuels in the southeast United States.
Previously, Guobadia was a CPA “focusing on accounting, audit, transactional tax consulting, and software development for several global prestigious firms.” He holds a bachelor of arts degree in accounting from the University of District Columbia.
He has 5 children
Guobadia has five children from previous relationships: Quentin, Nicole, Christian, Benjamin, and Ximena. In May 2022, he shared a picture on Instagram of himself posing with Williams and three of his kids celebrating their graduation from home school, writing “All graduated with Honors, and elevating to various grade levels.”
In the post, Guobadia also thanked his former partners for their support. “Thanks to both moms for working with me to co-parent these exceptionally gifted children,” he added.
Williams also shares a daughter, PJ, with her ex-fiancé Dennis McKinley.
He’s a restauranteur
Guobadia has invested in many Atlanta-area restaurants, including The Republic, DAS BBQ II, and LDV Hospitality subsidiary, American Cut Steakhouse.
During a February 2022 interview with Authority Magazine, he said,
“I consider food to be a work of art. While it nourishes our bodies, it also serves as a source of inspiration and connection, and I wanted to help bring that sense of creativity and community through food to my own city. For me, dining at a restaurant is all about the overall experience, from the chefs who express themselves and their artistic ability through their food, to the bonding of patrons who share those meals together.”
Could Simon be deported?
We consulted with Attorney Yanique Hall, an Immigration, Family and Debt Defense Lawyer, with Hall Law Office, P.A. and she made two points.
1. First, before anyone can state with certainty what the outcome will be, considering the limited facts and the absence of Mr. Guobadia complete file, I can only speculate about the possible outcomes. Yes, even if you are already a permanent resident (green card holder), the government (USCIS) can always review your file to confirm or determine whether your status was obtained fraudulently.
If he failed to disclose his criminal history to USCIS when submitting his Special Agricultural Worker (SAW) application, and if the allegations are in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), he may very well be placed in deportation proceedings where he must appear before an immigration judge.
Given that he is married to a US citizen, he may or may not be eligible for immigration waivers, which ask the court to consider factors beyond his criminal convictions and grant him the ability to remain in the US.
2. FYI – After someone has been deported, depending on the reason for the deportation, they may re-enter the US and lawfully obtain their green card.
With all that said, the timing of this revelation is interesting.
Porsha recently announced that she will be returning to the RHOA and we can almost guarantee this will be part of her storyline.
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Thoughts?