Hushpuppi trial from day one ahead of im sentencing for US on 7 November

Tunde Ososanya

Broadcast Journalist

Ramon Abass aka Hushpuppi na Nigerian Instagram celebrity wey enta gbege wit di United States authorities sake of say im conspire to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise (BEC), frauds and oda scams wey include plans wey target one US law firm, one foreign bank and one English Premier League club for June 2020.

Dubai police arrest di fraudster for June 2020 for di United Arab Emirates city where im dey live and extradite am to di United States.

Di arrest wey Dubai police call Fox Hunt 2 spark reactions from Nigerians, both di ones wey condemn di activities of Hushpuppi and odas wey look up to di internet fraudster.

Hushpuppi legal team

Afta im extradition to di United States to face criminal charges, Hushpuppi appear for one Illinois, Chicago court for di first time on 3 July, 2020.

Di high-profile international fraudster bin hire one ogbonge criminal defence attorney for Chicago, Gal Pissetzky wey be senior partner for Pissetzky and Berliner.

Di United States Department of Justice, wey dey prosecute di fraudster, later transfer am from Chicago to Los Angeles, California.

Court document show say Pissetzky make im first appearance on behalf of Hushpuppi for di US District Court for di Northern District of Illinois for 6 July, 2020.

Sake of say Gal Pissetzky no go fit represent am for California, Hushpuppi bin hire anoda ogbonge lawyer Vicki Podberesky of Andrues/Podberesky law firm wey dey for Los Angeles.

Sake of say na only Chicago Pissetzky dey licensed to practise, Podberesky join bodi wit am ontop Hushpuppi case.

Andrues/Podberesky law firm fit represent clients from Chicago and California and federal criminal mata.

Loius Shapiro enta scene as Pissetzky and Podberesky comot

For January 2021, Gal Pissetzky and Vicki Podberesky withdraw from di case as dem claim say Hushpuppi stop to dey communicate wit dem. Dem claim say Hushpuppi bin retain new lawyers to represent am.

For 1 March, Louis Shapiro confam give BBC Pidgin say Hushpuppi bin hire am to represent am for court.

"Yes e don retain me, I no dey like to dey comment for di case wey I dey handle. But I fit confam say yes I dey represent Ramon Abass."

Guilty for money laundering

Hushpuppi bin plead guilty to money laundering for one US court.

One court document wey dem file for California show say Hushpuppi crime cost victims almost $24m (£17m) in total.

For one oda scheme, di Instagram celebrity bin attempt to steal more $1.1m from someone wey wan fund new children school for Qatar, di documents tok.

According to di court document, Hushpuppi plead guilty to dis charge for 20 April, 2021.

Di documents tok say between 18 January, 2019 and 9 June, 2020, Hushpuppi and odas target multiple victims and launder di illicit funds for banks all over di world.

Dem add say e fit spend 20 years in prison, and go need "pay full restitution to di victim(s)".

Multiple postponement on sentencing for Hushpuppi

Di United States Attorney Office for di Central District of California bin first fix 14 February, 2022, for Hushpuppi sentencing.

Howeva, Louis Shapiro wey dey represent di alleged fraudster ask dem to postpone am, according to di tok-tok person for di attorney office, Thom Mrozek.

Di United States District Judge Otis D Wright grant Shapiro request and postpone di sentencing to 11 July.

Di court postpone di sentencing again to 21 September sake of anoda request from Hushpuppi lawyer Shapiro.

Di latest date now for di sentencing na 7 November, 2022.

Prosecutors drop some charges against Hushpuppi

Prosecutors for US bin drop some charges against Hushpuppi sake of di plea deal e enta wit di United States goment.

For one court statement wey di tok-tok pesin for di United States Attorney Office for di Central District of California, Mrozek Thom, share wit BBC Pidgin, on 12 February, 2021, di US bin filed one sealed criminal complaint against Hushpuppi and five co-defendants for one Juma case.

Di document say Hushpuppi agree to plead guilty in di Abbas case approximately two months later, while dem still seal di Juma case.

According to di document, di charges for di Juma case relate to one scheme to defraud one pesin for Qatar wey bin dey seek loan of $15 million for one project to build international school.

Di document say as part of Hushpuppi agreement for di Abbas case, di United States agree to dismiss di complaint against am for di Juma case.

According to di document, for December 2019, Hushpuppi bin plan wit one Kenyan citizen, Abdulrahman Imraan Juma and odas to defraud one Qatari company and di owner.

Di document say Juma bin don already dey in contact wit di victim wen Hushpuppi come join dem.

Dem say Hushpuppi start to dey speak wit di victim as im pose as Wells Fargo Bank employee identified as “Malik.”

Both men bin open bank account for Wells Fargo Bank for Canoga Park, California, and dem use di name of di Qatari victim company.

According to di document, between December 19 and 24, 2019, Hushpuppi and Juma deceive di victim to pay $330,000 to fund one investor account to facilitate di $15 million loan.

“Defendant bin use dose funds for im personal benefit, including purchasing one $230,000 Richard Mille RM11-03 watch, wey defendant arrange say make dem bring to am from New York to Dubai. Dem deliver di watch to defendant on approximately January 4, 2020,” di document tok. 

Hushpuppi say sorry for im crimes

Huspuppi for one handwritten letter to Judge Otis D. Wright, im claim say e only make $300,000 from im involvement for di crime wey dem dey try am for.

Di fraudster also tell di judge about im humble beginning and how im start to dey sell clothes for car booth.

“I bin start business ova 25 years ago, trading and selling sneakers and clothing for our neighbourhood and I go from selling clothes out of my car trunk to owning my own boutique across my city and beyond under my company, MONEABBAS NIG LTD,” Hushpuppi tok for di letter.

Hushpuppi say im join Instagram for 2012 to share im lifestyle online and e also tok say im business dey successful and im expand into “luxury fashion, real estate, automobile sales and entertainment deals”.

For di letter, Hushpuppi claim say dem torture am wen dem arrest and im get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sake of dat. 

Hushpuppi apologised to di judge for im crimes and im tok say e go use im personal money to pay di victims. 

For di letter, Hushpuppi say im recognise di seriousness of im offence and no amount of sorry fit right im wrong for di hearts of di victims. E say dis na why im decide to use im personal money to offset di entire $1,700,000 restitution even though, according to am, e only benefit $300,000.

Court reject apology letter

Di United States Federal Judge Otis D Wright reject Hushpuppi letter sake of say e no comply wit court rules.

Judge Wright tok say letters no dey allowed for filing, according to local rule 83-2.11.

Di judge remind Hushpuppi lawyer to review all local rules before dem file documents. 

Wetin to expect next on 7 November

Court bin postpone Hushpuppi sentencing from 21 September to 7 November.

Di internet fraudster go know im fate two years afta im arrest for Dubai.

Prosecutors for US recommend say make court sentence Hushpuppi to 11 years in prison and three years of supervised release.

Only time go tell weda na 11 years prison sentence Hushpuppi go chop or di court go decide say make dem add to am or reduce am.

But anytin wey happun on 7 November, e go be di climax of one of di criminal trials wey pipo talk about well well around di world.