Nigerian scammer Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abbas was sentenced to 11 years in prison for laundering millions of dollars, according to reports.
The Instagram influencer, also known as Ray Hushpuppi, was ordered to pay $1.7 million to two fraud victims, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Abbas was convicted of conspiring with other Africans to steal $124 million from his victims including a U.S. law firm which transferred $40 million to a bank account controlled by Hushpuppi and his associates.
Abbas, 40, posted photos of his lavish lifestyle on his popular Instagram page @hushpuppi, which was removed ahead of his sentencing hearing.
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“Abbas bragged on social media about his lavish lifestyle — a lifestyle funded by his involvement in transnational fraud and money laundering conspiracies targeting victims around the world,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Money laundering and business email compromise scams are a massive international crime problem, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement and international partners to identify and prosecute those involved, wherever they may be.”
Photos on his now-deleted Instagram page showed Hushpuppi posing with his fleet of luxury vehicles and private jets. He spent millions on designer bags and clothing by Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Fendi. And he counted rappers, professional athletes and Nigerian politicians among his many friends.
In June 2020, Dubai police raided Hushpuppi’s Palazzo Versace penthouse and arrested him. He was extradited from Dubai to Chicago, Illinois. From there he was transferred to a federal detention center in Los Angeles, California to await trial.
On July 28, 2021, Hushpuppi pleaded guilty to money laundering. His sentencing hearing was postponed multiple times due to the pandemic.
Upon his release, he will be deported back to his home country Nigeria.
