Hushpuppi to be sentenced by US court today

The sentencing in US federal court of a Nigerian influencer and fraudster known as Hushpuppi is set for today at a California court, Per Second News gathered.

Ramon Abbas could face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering in July 2021.

He was extradited to the US in July 2020, a month after being arrested at his luxury apartment at a five-star hotel in Dubai.

Court documents said Abbas’s crimes cost victims almost $24 million. Prosecutors alleged he was responsible for scams worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

In one scheme, he tried to steal more than $1.1m from someone who wanted to fund a new children’s school in Qatar.

Kristi Johnson, acting director of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, said that Abbas was one of the “most high-profile money launderers in the world”, who acted in the open rather than the shadows.

Almost $41m in cash and 13 cars valued at about $6.8m were seized, as were phone and computer evidence containing more than 100,000 fraudulent files.

In addition, the email addresses of nearly two million possible victims were found, according to Dubai Police.