When Sheree Whitfield got fired from The Real Housewives of Atlanta back in 2018, many fans stopped checking in on the Georgia-based fashion designer.

That sort of thing happens once the spotlight fades and the cameras stop rolling.

But now, Sheree is back on RHOA, and it seems that the years of her absence were so eventful that she could’ve launched a reality show of her own!

For starters, there’s a new man in Sheree’s life, and Bravo viewers aren’t the only ones who are just now getting to know him.

Whitfield’s friends are also being introduced to Tyrone Gilliams for the first time.

And that’s because Tyrone been in prison for the most of the time he’s been dating Sheree.

Yes, the mother of three went the Love After Lockup route with her new relationship, but these days, Tyrone is a free man, and it looks as though he and Sheree are very much looking forward to their future together.

“Tyrone has been around for a while,” Sheree said in a confessional segment.

“I put in so much time with this guy, gave him all of me, my entire heart. I set idle for many many years for Tyrone. I owe it to myself to see where it goes, and how it goes, and if love conquers all.”

So why was Gilliam locked up to begin with?

Well, according to a new report from Starcasm, Sheree’s new boo engineered a Ponzi scheme that allowed him to funnel more than $5 million from investors.

He would collect his victims’ money with a promise to invest it on their behalf, but most of it he just kept for himself or used to finance massive star-studded charity events with his name on them. 

One of these was the “Joy to the World Fest” which was held in Philadelphia in 2010.

The event boasted appearances by Sean “Diddy” Combs, NFL star DeSean Jackson, and a reality star who goes by the name of Sherée Whitfield!

Of course, Sheree likely had no idea that the young entrepreneur who hosted the event was engaged in all sorts of shady business ventures.

“In the summer of 2010, Gilliams solicited $5 million dollars from two investors for purposes of trading in U.S. Treasury Strips, which are a derivative of U.S. Treasury Bonds,” reads an FBI press release about Gilliams’ arrest.

Tyrone was released from prison early because of Covid concerns.

He got out of a Kentucky penitentiary in February of 2021, and he completed his time in a Philadelphia halfway house in January of 2022.

That’s a tough way to start a relationship, but Sheree saw the upside of dating a prisoner.

“The positives of dating an incarcerated man, for me is, I really feel like I got to know him on a deeper level,” she told Page Six after his release.

“A lot of times relationships are built on physical and a lot of times they don’t work,” she had said.

“People don’t take the time to get to know each other, or communicate, or talk. We do all of that. We don’t have anything else to do but communicate.”

On the season premiere of RHOA, Sheree revealed that she and Tyrone had sex after his release, but they’re now practicing celibacy until marriage.

Asked by Kenya Moore if she worries about Tyrone cheating on her because of this arrangement, Sheree revealed that she has no such fears.

“Girl, he loves this WAP!” she told her friend.

And we’re sure he appreciates all the more because of his stint in the slammer!

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