Hushpuppi pleads guilty to cybercrime charges against him
Court proceeding reveals Hushpuppi paid off a foreign official to keep his fraud scheme going
The Nigerian fraudster was arrested in Dubai in June 2020
A Central District Court in California, United States of America (USA), presided over by Justice Otis Wright, has postponed the sentencing of a famous Nigerian cyber fraudster, Ramon Abass, popularly known as Hushpuppi, to September 21, 2022.
Initially, the sentencing of Hushpuppi was scheduled for February 14 but was pushed to July 11, 2022, and now has been moved to September 21, at the request of the counsel for the famous fraudster.
“At the request of counsel, the sentencing is continued to 9/21/2022 at 1:30 PM before Judge Otis D. Wright II, as to Defendant Ramon Olorunwa Abbas,” the court said.
Detailing the role and contribution of Hushpuppi in a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme against the US government, Tracy L. Wilkison, an Acting US Attorney, revealed that the Nigerian fraudster allegedly faked the financing of a Qatari school by playing the roles of bank officials and bribed a foreign official to support the fraud scheme as the victim was supposedly tipped off.
Hushpuppi and some colleagues were arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE), in June 2020 after a Dubai police squad raided his apartment.
He was flown to the US to stand trial for defrauding the US government and its citizens.
Court documents from the US Department of Justice reveal that Hushpuppi, in April 2021, pleaded guilty to the charges filed against him by the US government.
He pleaded guilty to Count Two, which is “Conspiracy to Engage in Money Laundering,” an offence that attracts a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment among other punishments, including full restitution, his plea agreement with the U.S. government states in part.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
