On last night’s episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Sheree Whitfield gushed that her prison boyfriend, Tyrone Gilliams, would likely be released later this year — and shared their plans to wed as soon as possible.
However, Whitfield’s dreams for Gilliams’ soon-to-be freedom have been shattered, as the inmate’s latest attempt at an early release has been shut down by New York federal court.
Gilliams, 51, was sentenced to 120 months in 2013 on securities fraud and wire fraud charges in an elaborate white-collar scheme to swindle investors of $5 million.
After a 2016 attempt to challenge the legality of his sentence was shut down, Gilliams filed a motion for reconsideration in January of this year.
According to the documents obtained, Gilliams claimed he wasn’t actually a “leader” in his scheme, the government “improperly withheld” evidence, and his counsel was “ineffective.”
He also begged the court to release him on bail “during the pendency of federal habeas corpus proceedings.”
But U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts shut down his latest arguments in a March 20 filing, claiming he offered no new evidence.
Gilliams is slated to be released on November 14, 2022 — meaning he still has over four years behind bars ahead of him.
He is currently incarcerated at a federal prison in Yazoo City, Mississippi, more than a six-hour drive from Whitfield’s native Atlanta.
The 48-year-old mother of three’s family, costars and friends have been critical of her loyalty to the felon, but she still insists the couple is meant to be together.
