Viswa Vanapalli
VH1’s ‘My True Crime Story’ chronicles stories of ordinary people committing extraordinary crimes and the consequences that follow. In the second episode of season 2, the viewers are introduced to LaCola Nickens and the story behind how she entered a world of crime. LaCola was part of a notorious identity theft ring that forever changed the lives of several affected victims. So, if you’re wondering what happened to her and where she might be today, here’s what we know.
Who is LaCola Nickens?
LaCola Nickens was part of a criminal conspiracy headed by Michael Oginni of Maryland. Also part of this conspiracy were Andraliesha Jefferson and Robert McCrickard. Reports indicated that Michael had a history of fraud, with criminal convictions in the United Kingdom from the 1990s. Over twenty years, he moved from credit card fraud to attempting to outsmart newer security features on credit cards. Michael was also violent, often using that to control people working for him.
Michael was responsible for the conspiracy that ran for about two years, with LaCola being a part of it too. They used custom driver’s licenses with photos of the people part of the ring. However, these licenses contained the names and addresses of the several victims they defrauded. Once the licenses were printed, the group would enter into apartment leases in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.
The group would then use these new addresses to open new bank accounts and credit cards fraudulently. The related mail would be shipped only to the new address, with the victim not knowing of these fraudulent cards. The group then racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in charges by purchasing luxury items and gift cards. The federal authorities concluded that the conspiracy resulted in about $850,000 in fraudulent transactions between 2015 and 2017, with over 50 people affected.
LaCola Nickens is Living Her Life With New Perspective
For her involvement in the conspiracy, LaCola Nickens was sentenced to serve one year in prison in July 2018, with the others also receiving varying sentences. She was released from federal prison in April 2019. Currently, LaCola seems to be staying out of trouble. She lives in the Washington DC-Baltimore (Maryland) area and previously worked for Purdue University Global in Indiana.
Apart from that, LaCola was the President of Infinite Black Entertainment before her arrest. Today, she appears to be getting her life back on track, participating in singing competitions and looking for a new job as a singer, model, spoken word performer, freestyle lyricist, and talent manager. LaCola enjoys cooking, traveling, shopping, and sports during her free time.
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