Who is Hushpuppi
Hushpuppi, Hush, and Ray Hushpuppi all refer to the same person: Ramon Abbas, a former Instagram influencer and convicted felon from Nigeria. He was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on October 11, 1982. Hushpuppi Abbas posted images and videos of his excessive spending on exotic automobiles, watches, luxury outfits, bags from Gucci, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton, helicopters, footballers, and Nigerian politicians, and charter flights until his arrest by the Dubai Police in June 2020 and extradition to the US. He claimed to be a property developer. A false marriage to a St. Kitts and Nevis citizen gave him a passport from that country.
Hushpuppi was among twelve people detained in simultaneous searches on the night of the infamous “Fox Hunt 2” operation, which targeted the Palazzo Versace where he was staying. Detectives seized 150 million dirham ($40 million) in cash, 13 luxury automobiles valued Dh 25 million ($7M), 21 laptops, 47 smartphones, 15 memory storage devices, five external hard drives, 800,000 emails of potential victims, and suitcases full of cash. The FBI indicted him as a “key actor” in a worldwide cybercrime network that provided “safe havens for stolen money around the world.” Bloomberg and BBC Africa have each produced and distributed a documentary that details the life of Hushpuppi up until the time of his arrest.
What Happened To Hushpuppi In America?
Hushpuppi was sentenced to 11 years on November 8, 2022, in the US for conspiracy to launder money from commercial email compromise frauds and other scams, including plans to steal $40 million from a US law firm, $14.7 million from a foreign financial institution, and $124 million from an English Premier League club.
Hushpuppi had pleaded guilty to money laundering on July 28, 2021, and named Nigerian Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, as an accomplice in the $1.1 million fraud deal. U.S. authorities were able to secure an arrest warrant for Abba Kyari the next day. The recording of the police chief’s chat with Hushpuppi was made public, which further implicated him in the crime.
Hushpuppi is wanted in Nigeria by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which is Nigeria’s financial crime police. Hushpuppi is accused of perpetrating fraud in Nigeria, and the commission is looking for him.
Following his sentencing on November 8, 2022, Hushpuppi will likely spend the next 135 months in a federal prison in the United States of America.
Regina Manneh, Hushpuppi’s wife, and two Imams wrote to the US district court from Lagos and Borno states pleading for leniency. Hushpuppi was called “a frequent donator” by Lagos’ Imam Rasaq Olopede. Hudu Abdulrasak of Madrasatul Ahlul-Bait Islamiya in Maiduguri, Borno State, also praised Hushpuppi for his charity to orphans and widows in another letter. In support of the convict’s earlier request for a short sentence, the letters were filed with the US District Court on November 4, 2022.
Hushpuppi also pleaded with the US district court to prevent him from being returned to Nigeria after serving his prison term because of purported fear of the government there.
