Sometimes believing in a higher power can bring hope during challenging times. That seems to be the case with Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Peter Thomas, who announced this week he’s leaning on God “in my time of troubles.”
Thomas shared his feelings in a deeply personal May 21 Instagram post, just before he reported to federal prison to serve an 18-month sentence for tax evasion.
“All my people told me not to post this, that I am crazy if I do. I am not crazy, just real,” Thomas began.
He advised start-up business owners to pay their taxes and avoid facing the wrath of the Internal Revenue Service.
“The first thing I must say to all new business owners, please pay that withholding tax, you do not want to be in the position that I am right now, the law is the law,” the former reality star wrote.
Related: Peter Thomas Gets 18 Month Sentence in Tax Evasion Case
Thomas was sentenced in December 2024, and ordered to pay the IRS $2,526,131.99 in restitution.
In his Instagram post, he mentioned the challenges Black business owners face in obtaining funding. But said he’s taking “responsibility” for his actions, and vowed to set a better example for his sons and grandchildren moving forward.
“This is a new chapter in my life… accountability & responsibility, my road to redemption. I have 3 Black sons, and I must lead by example, also for my 4 beautiful grandsons, this life ain’t easy, but we’re resilient, and your granddaddy is a KING,” he wrote.
“God Bless, and by the way, I didn’t just find God in my time of troubles, I was raised this way,” Thomas ended the post. He included a picture of the sign outside Federal Correctional Institution Miami.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, the Florida prison is described as “low-security,” and houses a total of 952 male inmates.
On July 2, 2024, the Department of Justice announced the entrepreneur had pleaded guilty to one count of failure to pay “trust fund taxes” for employees of his PT Media, LLC between 2017 and 2023.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Carolina, Thomas collected millions of dollars in taxes on employee wages at his restaurants and nightclubs in Charlotte, Miami, and Baltimore.
But instead of turning the funds over to the IRS, prosecutors said Thomas used the money for “other” purposes — including $2.5 million in cash withdrawals, approximately “$370,000 for travel and real estate purchases, and more than $250,000 on retail purchases at Neiman Marcus, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Givenchy.”
In court documents, the feds said Thomas tried to “deprive the Federal Government of funds used to provide important retirement and disability benefits,” because he wanted to “unjustly enrich” himself.
Thomas was married to RHOA star Cynthia Bailey from 2010 to 2017. He appeared alongside his then-wife on the Bravo series and their wedding was featured on season 3 of the show.
Read his Instagram post in full below:
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