US court: Hushpuppi to be sentenced on Valentine’s Day

The United States attorney’s office at the central district of California says Ramon Abbas, the self-confessed international fraudster better known as Hushpuppi, will be sentenced on Valentine’s Day.

Accordung to BBC Pidgin, Thom Mrozek, the court’s director of media relations, also disclosed that Hushpuppi’s case is set to come to a close.

“The court has scheduled the case of Mr. Abbas for sentencing on February 14, 2022,” Mrozek said.

The court’s spokesperson, however, did not give any other information on the duration of trial and sentence.

Hushpuppi, who is known for his luxury life, had been arrested in the UAE back in June 2020 alongside 11 of his associates over allegations bordering on hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, and identity theft.

His extradition to the United States had followed after the UAE police detailed his arrest in a special operation dubbed ‘Fox Hunt 2’, where he was accused of defrauding 1.9 million victims to the tune of N168 billion.

The socialite would later plead guilty to money laundering, putting him at the risk of 20 years imprisonment.

Hushpuppi was also in the news in July 2021 after he claimed to have bribed Abba Kyar, the deputy commissioner of police (DCP), to arrest Chibuzo, his co-fraudster and rival.

Although Kyari dismissed the allegations, an investigation by the FBI claimed the detective collaborated with Hushpuppi to facilitate the arrest of Chibuzo.