Simon Guobadia, the Atlanta businessman once married to Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams, has been indicted in federal court in Georgia on two counts of assisting in the preparation and filing of false federal tax returns. The indictment centers on 2021 tax filings that prosecutors say drastically understated his taxable income despite millions of dollars flowing through his petroleum company.
What the Indictment Alleges
According to TMZ, which first disclosed the case after reviewing court documents, Guobadia filed paperwork in March 2021 reporting $0 in taxable income even though prosecutors allege he knew he had earned significantly more. That same filing listed gross sales exceeding $45 million for Simcol Petroleum Limited, Guobadia's petroleum company, according to the outlet's reporting.
A second filing from July 2021 shows a similar pattern, per the same report: Guobadia allegedly reported just $58,231 in taxable income while Simcol Petroleum Limited's gross sales for that period came in at nearly $31 million. Federal authorities contend that Guobadia knew his taxable income and the company's sales figures were higher than what he reported in both filings, the outlet notes.
Arrest Warrant Status Unclear
Court records cited in the TMZ report indicate that an arrest warrant was issued for Guobadia, though it remains unclear whether he has been taken into custody. TheGrio also reported on the indictment, noting it was returned in federal court in Georgia.
Guobadia has pushed back hard against the allegations. In a statement reported by RnB Philly, he said, “I am also completely confident that the U.S. Department of Justice got this wrong.” He argued that the headline sales figures attributed to his company do not reflect what he actually took home, telling the outlet, “Anyone who knows the oil industry will tell you our margins are thin.”
A Marriage That Ended in Court — Twice
Guobadia and Williams married in November 2022 and split in dramatic fashion, with Williams filing for divorce in February 2024. The breakup played out publicly amid the backdrop of her Bravo fame, and it wasn't the only legal trouble to follow Guobadia. He was deported to Nigeria in 2025 amid separate immigration proceedings, per RnB Philly's reporting.
The federal tax case adds a new chapter to a run of legal entanglements for the businessman, who has not previously faced criminal charges tied to his companies' finances according to available reporting. Prosecutors allege he assisted in preparing and filing the false returns, a characterization that frames the case around his knowledge and conduct rather than simply the numbers on the page.
Bigger Picture on Tax Enforcement
The case lands amid a broader federal crackdown on financial crimes. Separately, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama announced an indictment against six defendants in an unrelated scheme accused of seeking more than $177 million in fraudulent federal tax refunds, underscoring that tax-fraud prosecutions have been an active enforcement priority nationally. Guobadia's case is not connected to that scheme, but it arrives as federal authorities continue pursuing allegations of falsified business and tax records across the country.
