Simon says it ain’t so!
Simon Guobadia is sounding off after being hit with a federal tax indictment involving millions of dollars, and he’s adamant that the Department of Justice has it all wrong. The businessman and former husband of The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams is facing two federal counts of allegedly aiding in the preparation and filing of false tax returns, but he’s firing back at the allegations, calling them “grossly exaggerated.”
Simon Guobadia indictment: What happened?
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Simon was indicted Tuesday (Oct. 27) in federal court in Georgia. Prosecutors allege that the entrepreneur knowingly underreported his income on multiple tax filings, despite his businesses bringing in millions of dollars.
In March 2021, Simon allegedly filed paperwork reporting $0 in taxable income, despite prosecutors claiming he knew he had earned significantly more. The feds also allege that he underreported sales from his company, Simcol Petroleum Limited, which reportedly generated more than $45 million in gross sales.
And apparently, that wasn’t the only filing raising eyebrows.
Prosecutors allege that in July 2021, Simon again reported considerably less than what his business was bringing in, claiming just $58,231 in taxable income while Simcol Petroleum Limited listed nearly $31 million in gross sales.
According to the indictment, Simon allegedly knew both his taxable income and his company’s gross sales were substantially higher than the amounts reported.
Court records also indicate that an arrest warrant has been issued for Simon, although it remains unclear whether he has been taken into custody.
Simon Guobadia Speaks Out, Denies Allegations In Federal Tax Indictment
Simon isn’t staying silent about the federal indictment. The businessman is pushing back against the allegations, maintaining that federal prosecutors have misinterpreted his company’s financial records.
In a statement, Simon pointed to his background in accounting and said he understands the seriousness of the charges against him.
“As a former tax accountant and CPA, I understand the consequences of filing a false tax return. I am also completely confident that the U.S. Department of Justice got this wrong.”
He went on to defend the financial reporting practices of his petroleum business, arguing that the government’s allegations fail to account for how the oil industry operates.
“Oil companies do not overstate their cost of goods sold or the federal taxes they collect and pay over to the government. My deductions for those payments can be independently verified.”
Simon also emphasized the industry’s narrow profit margins, suggesting that the multimillion-dollar sales figures cited in the indictment do not necessarily reflect the company’s taxable profits.
“Anyone who knows the oil industry will tell you our margins are thin.”
He concluded by criticizing the public attention surrounding the indictment, arguing that the allegations have created a misleading impression of his business dealings.
“These widely publicized indictments create an impression, hopefully not on purpose, that is grossly exaggerated.”
Despite Simon’s emphatic denial, the federal charges remain pending, and his claims about the company’s financial reporting have not been independently verified.
Simon and Porsha finalized their divorce last year after a rocky time in court
Of course, Simon is no stranger to headlines involving legal drama. The businessman was previously married to RHOA star Porsha Williams, with the pair tying the knot in November 2022. However, their marriage was short-lived, with Williams filing for divorce in February 2024 after just 15 months together.
Porsha scored a significant victory in their contentious divorce in 2025, securing their multimillion-dollar Atlanta mansion and a seven-figure settlement. The process was finalized in June of last year.
But the legal drama surrounding their relationship didn’t end with the divorce.
Simon also faced immigration troubles and was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while returning to the United States for a divorce hearing. He was subsequently deported to Nigeria in 2025 amid his immigration issues and can not legally re-enter the U.S. until further notice.
A Divorce Fueled by Alleged Dishonesty and Legal Troubles
While the couple’s split initially appeared to be another high-profile celebrity divorce, Williams later suggested there was much more happening behind the scenes.
As previously reported, in 2025, Porsha told PEOPLE that her decision was influenced by discovering what she described as “complex” issues surrounding Simon’s immigration status, along with what she characterized as a pattern of dishonesty and deceit.
According to Williams, it was during the final three months of their marriage that she began realizing Simon “wasn’t being honest with her about the ‘complex’ issues with his legal status.”
She recalled, “That’s when I knew, ‘This is probably headed down a dark road.’”
Williams also explained that she takes legal compliance seriously and did not want to find herself caught up in circumstances that could jeopardize her own standing with the law.
“Everything I do is above board. When it comes to business, life…I have attorneys who make sure that I am in right standing with United States law. So I wouldn’t want to be involved in anything that would put me in a position not to follow our law. And I felt I was put in an uncomfortable situation, legally—in combination with dishonesty and deceit—where I needed to file for divorce in order to gain immediate protection.”
Simon, however, offered a different perspective on the breakdown of their marriage. He maintained that they had “no issues” as a couple and suggested Williams was focusing on circumstances from his past.
He said she was “citing issues that happened in my past. I have spent the better part of 35 years of my life making up for it,” he added.
The Mansion Battle and Porsha’s Claims
The divorce proceedings also brought another major point of contention: their multimillion-dollar Atlanta mansion.
According to legal documents obtained by Radar Online, Porsha asked the judge to reject Simon’s appeal for access to the property, arguing that their prenuptial agreement required him to vacate the residence within 30 days of a divorce filing. However, Williams alleged that Simon was not cooperating with the arrangement.
In her court filing, Porsha also detailed how revelations about Simon’s alleged criminal history and immigration issues affected her during their marriage and divorce proceedings.
“The media frenzy that ensued was solely a result of Husband’s actions, which included revelations about Husband’s criminal history, questionable immigration, and allegations of fraud. Wife shows that the news reports of Husband’s alleged immigration fraud, and what appeared to be an imminent threat of deportation, were shocking and affected Wife’s mental and emotional wellbeing,” the documents read.
Williams further alleged that she had previously questioned Simon about his criminal history and immigration status but claimed he never disclosed the details to her.
Her attorney also addressed the alleged lack of transparency in the marriage, writing:
“Since learning of Husband’s checkered immigration history and status, Wife began to question everything that she initially believed to be true as it relates to her Husband’s character, immigration, business dealings, etc, and began to uncover additional information that Husband failed to disclose to Wife.”
Yikes!
We’ll keep you updated on Simon Guobadia’s indictment as the story unfolds.
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