Nigerian fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, appears to be in good spirits after he was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for fraud and money laundering.
KanyiDaily recalls that on Monday, November 7, the United States District Court for the Central District of California sentenced Hushpuppi to 135 months in a federal prison and ordered him to pay $1,732,841 (£1,516,182) in restitution to two fraud victims.
A few hours after his sentencing, the Nigerian Instagram celebrity was seen in a live video speaking with one of his friends, and they joked about his appearance during the video call.
Hushpuppi is seen laughing while telling the friend that he made sure to groom himself properly and applied lip balm so that his pink lips would be presentable.
The fraudster said he didn’t want his appearance to anger the judge, Justice Otis Wright, who found him guilty of laundering proceeds of a school financing scam, business email compromise and other fraudulent cyber schemes levied against him.
KanyiDaily had reported how Hushpuppi was arrested in the United Arab Emirate, Dubai on June 10, 2020, alongside 11 of his associates over allegations bordering on hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, and identity theft.
The fraudster was subsequently extradited to the US after the UAE police detailed his arrest in a special operation dubbed ‘Fox Hunt 2’ where he was accused of defrauding over 1.9 million victims to the tune of $435.6 million (N168 billion).
Amongst other charges, Hushpuppi and his accomplices were also accused of conspiring to steal £100 million (approximately $124 million) from an English Premier League soccer club.
On July 4, 2020, Hushpuppi was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering before the court, an offense that attracts a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment if convicted.
In a court document obtained on July 28, 2021, Hushpuppi pleaded guilty to various offenses bordering on internet scam and money laundering, among others.
Hushpuppi also apologized to his victims before his sentencing by the United States Attorney’s Office for Central District of California, Los Angeles.
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