But for social media, not many who reside outside of Ebonyi State would have known who Maria Ude Nwachi is let alone put a face to her. But the very e
But for social media, not many who reside outside of Ebonyi State would have known who Maria Ude Nwachi is let alone put a face to her. But the very energetic female lawmaker representing Afikpo North East Constituency in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, has become quite popular due to her antics on social media.
Many began to take note of her when in a Facebook post in 2016, she began to reminisce about how long before she clocked 25 years old, she was already the highest buyer of Versace home products in the entire USA with no one coming close to that rare achievement. She added that at a time, she had Harrods customize about 35 of her favorite ‘True Religion’ and ‘Seven For All Mankind’ Jeans with the Nigeria coat of arms on them and signed them off with ‘Afikpo Chic’ her alias.
At another time, Maria who also goes by the nickname, ‘Best Chic Ever Liveth’ took to her Facebook to declare that the Prado SUV gifted her as a member of the State House of assembly by the governor, David Umahi, would be sold and the proceeds gifted to her constituency through loans and to aid those in need of small funds to start a business or put life into their businesses. She added that a portion of it will also go towards some of her on-going projects situated in her constituency.
Quite a rare feat one must admit for a Nigerian politician to part ways with a brand new Prado SUV which is today valued at over N17 million. Apparently, it was all in a bid to make a political statement. Maria found political relevance on the platform of Progressive People Alliance (PPA), something that was denied her by the then ruling party, People Democratic Power. So the need to consolidate on her political relevance wasn’t quite lost on political watchers.
Also, Maria seems to be financially well heeled judging by the fleet of cars she has, as well as how well put together her resort it. Maria island resort is said to be the biggest resort in Ebonyi State. Bearing this in mind, it wasn’t out of place for one to wonder at the source of her wealth. How did she come about it. What exactly does she do for a living and more importantly, what is her antecedent? A little digging and the answer stares you right back in your face.
Before her relocation to Nigeria, Maria had lived in America for a while but rather than the name Maria, she used the name Arianna Uzo Egwu and extensively too. It appeared in all of her vital documents. So it is safe to say that her real name is actually Arianna Uzo Egwu. Her change of name may obviously not be unconnected to the need to erase her past and have a fresh start. While in America, she ran a prostitution and money laundering ring. The prostitution ring was allegedly associated with a high priced upper East Side call-girl service.
She was eventually arrested, ordered held without bail and eventually deported. At the time of her arrest, police seized $212,000 from her apartment, a $68,000 limo with the license plate ‘DECADENT’ and $417,000 from bank and investment accounts. In addition to the prostitution ring, she was also accused of using several companies, including MCO Enterprises of NY and UE International Group, as fronts to launder the money. A civil forfeiture was filed against her seeking to freeze the operation’s $2 million in proceeds.
Her arrest was effective majorly because it was a year-long police investigation which was prompted by an anonymous tip about activities at her apartment which was then on 1474 Third Ave, Manhattan. Numerous undercover investigators worked on the case, some posing as potential clients and others as potential employees. One undercover cop had to strip down to her underwear for her ‘job interview.’ Egwu told her it was a necessary routine because her workers have to be ‘almost perfect’ for clients.
In addition to her apartment, she operated a sex ring out of at least eight Manhattan apartments with the average rent for each love nest at $3,500 a month, as at the time of her arrest. Two other women, Snejana Bedunkevich and Elena Wagnerova, her employees were also arrested with her and charged with prostitution. According to the Daily News which reported her arrest in 2001, prices for her services were said to run from $1,000 to $4,000 an hour and could reach $32,000 for a weekend. She promoted the pricey call-girl operation as a high-class dating service and advertised her workers who she claimed were models on a website.
The soon to be 47 year old was 30 at the time of her arrest. Her Glamour Roses Web site featured photographs of women whose rates were determined based on their classification as A, B or C models. The website noted that customers could make appointments 30 to 60 minutes in advance. As the madam of the business, she was in charge of the day-to-day operation, including interviewing, hiring and housing the prostitutes, as well as setting up dates for clients.
Some of her other side hustles were owning a public-access TV show called ‘Dance Ventures with Uzo,’ and putting out a dance record called ‘2,000 Elephants’ on 6 AM Records. She was also a regular on the Howard Stern show using the name ‘Uzo Candybabe.’
But I guess all that doesn’t matter now, as she has moved on and made something of herself as a law maker in her state house of assembly.
