Hushpuppi – whose real name is Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, is popular on social media for always flaunting his wealth. However, he now faces money laundering conspiracy charges in the United States, according to the Department of Justice.
On Friday, the third of July, Hushpuppi appeared in a federal court in Chicago. He is being charged for conspiracy including money laundry worth hundreds of millions of dollars through cybercrime schemes.
Hushpuppi was arrested last month by law enforcement officials. He was arrested in the United Arab Emirates and was subsequently transferred to the US by the FBI. According to the Prosecutors, Hushpuppi is allegedly is one of the leaders of a global network. This network uses computer interferences, business email compromise (BEC) schemes, and money laundering tricks to steal millions of dollars.
A BEC scheme often involves a hacker who redirects communications of a business email account to others in an attempt to lure them into making a wire transfer. For example, According to a federal affidavit, a victim was the client of a New York-based law firm that lost $922,857 in October 2019.
“This case targets a key player in a large, transnational conspiracy who was living an opulent lifestyle in another country while allegedly providing safe havens for stolen money around the world. As this case demonstrates, my office will continue to hold such criminals accountable, no matter where they live”; US Attorney Nick Hanna said in a statement.
The Hushpuppi Instagram account, which boasts of 2.4 million followers, shows his lavish and luxurious lifestyle. He’s mostly photographed inside or in front of jets, shopping luxury brands, posing in front of expensive cars. On the other hand, contrary to recent findings, on his Instagram bio, Hushpuppi says he is a real estate developer.
Arrest of Hushpuppi
According to the Dubai Police Facebook page, Hushpuppi and 11 other people were arrested during raids in which authorities seized their properties. These include; nearly $41 million, 13 luxury cars worth $6.8 million, phones, and computer evidence containing more than 100,000 fraud files.
Hushpuppi, 37, is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago. However, he will be transferred to Los Angeles in the coming weeks, according to the Justice Department. If he’s convicted of money laundering, he would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
