Porsha Williams’ Ex Simon Guobadia Detained by ICE Amid Mass Deportations

Guobadia, who was born in Nigeria, is currently being held at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s records, obtained by Us on Friday, February 21.

His status is listed as “in ICE custody,” meaning he is being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (The detainment comes amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan, which he signed into effect earlier this year after taking the Oval Office. Under the order, illegal immigrants could be deported back to their home countries.)

Guobadia, 60, came from Nigeria to the United States in 1982 and allegedly overstayed his visa and was declared deportable in 1985, according to Atlanta’s WSB-TV 2. Guobadia returned to America in 1986 and once again overstayed his work visa.

He was arrested in 1987 and pleaded guilty to bank and credit card fraud. Guobadia was later arrested two more times and deported back to Nigeria in 1992.

Guobadia was able to return to the U.S. one month later, according to the news station, which reported on Friday that he applied for naturalization in 2016. However, Guobadia was denied by the U.S. government.

In February 2024, Guobadia made headlines again when the Atlanta Black Star reported that he had been repeatedly denied residency in the U.S. At the time, Guobadia seemed unbothered by his citizen status.

“Happy Tuesday to all who ever overcame and persevered in life. You are winning #42yearsLivinginAmerica,” he wrote via Instagram in February 2024, sharing a photo smoking a cigar and riding on a golf cart in Georgia.

Days later Williams, 43, filed for divorce after being married to Guobadia for 15 months. The pair tied the knot in November 2022 after getting engaged in May 2021.

Us reported in November 2024 that Williams was awarded “temporary, sole and exclusive possession, use and occupancy” of her and Guobadia’s shared residence in Georgia, meaning she could still film The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

The order included permission for Williams to have the “unrestricted right to film and produce television, film or social media” content on the premises. The docs obtained by Us also stated that Guobadia shall “execute any and all documents necessary to facilitate.”

According to court documents, Guobadia’s latest request for citizenship was denied by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services last month.

Guobadia, a Nigerian citizen, initially entered the U.S. in 1982, but overstayed his visa and was declared deportable in 1985. He came back into the country the next year, but once again overstayed his work visa.

In 1987, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to bank and credit card fraud. Over the next few years, he was arrested two more times.

In 1992, Guobadia was deported and physically removed from the U.S. Less than a month later, he was granted permanent residency status under an undisclosed identity, the federal filing says.

Years later, in 2016, he applied for naturalization, but was denied because his previous status was “unlawfully granted.”

In a post shared on Jan. 31, the Nigerian businessman hinted that he’d have a close eye on his soon-to-be ex-wife, Porsha Williams, and her mother. According to Simon, Porsha violated a clause outlined in their prenuptial agreement by sharing false narratives about him on the show this season.

“My name is NOT Cordell Stewart,” he wrote, mentioning Porsha’s ex-husband Kordell Stewart. “I fight back with FACTS!”

The entrepreneur took issue with Porsha’s mother, Diane T. Williams, alluding to him as a fraudster and scammer inside the drama-filled trailer for RHOA that dropped on Jan. 30.

“The frauding, the scamming – it makes you think how much of it was real,” Diane said as Porsha appeared to tear up in the quick clip.

The comment appeared to be about the federal court documents that emerged in February 2024, which accused Simon of involvement in “nefarious criminal activities,” including credit card fraud, identity theft, and orchestrating a fake marriage to secure U.S. citizenship. However, in his post shared Friday, Simon went off on Diane, hinting that he would be vindicated soon once “receipts” were made public.

“RHOA Season 16 is going to be so much fun exposing this family. Let’s head back to Costa Rica Mom and see who is “defrauding and scamming (will make receipts available publicly.)”

In the caption, the SIMCOL group CEO continued to criticize Porsha and her mother, labeling them an “ungrateful family” while taking a swipe at Kordell Stewart, Porsha’s ex-husband, whom she was married to from 2011 to 2013. The entrepreneur hinted that the true “fraudsters” Diane had referenced would soon be revealed.

“I keep trying to avoid this ungrateful family like a plague but they keep coming back! My name is NOT Cordell Stewart; I fight back with FACTS! You can bet on it—the real fraudsters will be exposed. Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all. The audacity of this family is truly unbelievable. Call your lawyers and find the quickest exit from this catastrophic narratives you keep coming up with, it will continue to be costly to all parties concerned. SMDH.”

That wasn’t all.

Simon also dragged Bravo into the drama in a follow-up Instagram post, calling out the major network for “supporting” Diane and Porsha’s allegations that he claimed were “legally shielded by a prenup confidentiality clause.”

The businessman added:

“How reckless for a $167 billion enterprise. SMDH,” noting in the caption that they should have asked to see a copy of Porsha’s prenup before allowing her to speak on details about their ongoing divorce.