Gal Pissetzky, the legal representative of Ramon Abass, a suspected internet fraudster better known as Hushpuppi, has denied rumours that his client has been released from the US prison.

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An uproar had ensued among Nigerians on social media after the US’ prison records showed that the Instagram personality had been released.

The self-acclaimed influencer has been in a tussle involving the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) after he was arrested in Dubai and extradited to the US on account of cyberfraud allegations.

After his arraignment in a US court, he had been detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Chicago ahead of his transfer for a trial in California.

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On Thursday, screenshots from the FBI’s Bureau of Prisons website however, showed that the embattled celebrity had been released on July 20, stirring up reactions among Nigerians across social media.

In his reaction, Pissetzky said the suspect is still in prison and that the bureau’s records showed “released” because of his transfer to California ahead of his trial.

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“Just because the jail record says ‘released’ does not mean he has been released. Not everything you see on court documents is accurate,” Punch quoted him to have said.

Hushpuppi was arrested last month alongside 11 associates after he was alleged to have committed crimes including hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, and identity theft.

He had thereafter been charged with the conspiracy to commit money laundering, a crime for which he could get a statutory maximum jail term of 20 years if convicted.

Talks of his release immediately went viral on social media platforms especially Twitter.

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