US court sentence Hushpuppi to 11 Years, 3 month for online scam, money laundering, others

Ramon Abass popularly known as Hushpuppi has been sentenced to 11 years and three months imprisonment by the United States District Court sitting Central District of California for money laundering conspiracy through several online scams.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Otis Wright II, on Monday, and it found Hushpuppi guilty of the allegations including laundering proceeds of a school financing scam, business email compromise, and other fraudulent cyber schemes levied against him.

Hushpuppi’s verified Instagram account was deactivated by Meta, the parent body of the social media platform where he is known to spend most of his time showing off his affluence.

Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and flown to the United States in June 2020 to face charges of multi-million dollar fraud schemes including “bank cyber-heists”. He was arrested for defrauding over 1.9 million people, the majority of them being Americans.

Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and flown to the United States in June 2020

Ahead of his sentencing, Monday, a United States court had received letters begging for mercy on behalf of the self-confessed international fraudster.

Prominent among the letters of passionate appeal for mercy for Hushpuppi are those of his wife, Regina Manneh, and two Imams who wrote separately from Lagos and Borno states in Nigeria’s South-west and northeast regions, respectively.

The letter by the Imam of Imisi-Oluwa Mosque, Lagos, Rasaq Olopede, described Hushpuppi as “a frequent donator” to the mosque.

In another letter, Hudu Abdulrasak of Madrasatul Ahlul-Bait Islamiya, in Maiduguri, Borno State, also paid glowing tributes to Hushpuppi for his philanthropic gestures to the orphan, the widow, and others in need.

They said the former Instagram celebrity, described by the US government as a proficient cyber-fraudster, had become remorseful and would be of good character after his release.

The letters were filed at the US District Court for the Central District of California on 4 November in support of Huspuppi’s earlier plea for a light sentence.

Forty-year-old Hushpuppi had personally sent a hand-written letter to the judge, Otis Wright, giving assurances that he was a changed person, and promising to make full restitution in excess of the benefits he derived from the crimes to the victims.

US authorities said Hushpuppi and his conspirators, through an extensive cyber-fraud, targeted multiple victims, including a bank in Malta, a law firm in New York, two companies in the United Kingdom, and a businessperson in Qatar.

Hushpuppi, who initially denied the charges, made a turnaround to enter into a plea bargain agreement with the US authorities in July 2021, in the hope of getting a light sentence.

But, in his plea for leniency, Hushpuppi, without suggesting any number of years of jail term to the judge, pleaded for a sentence “to a term of imprisonment below the calculated range dictated by statute.”

He confessed to conspiring with multiple persons within and outside the US to launder the proceeds of the fraudulent scheme perpetrated against persons and businesses in different countries.

The US government, in its pre-sentencing filings, pushed for at least 11 years jail term for him.

The offence ordinarily attracts a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, among other punishments including full restitution