[1] He was sentenced in the United States to 11 years for conspiracy to launder money obtained from business email compromise frauds and other scams, including schemes that defrauded a US law firm of about $40 million, illegally transferred $14.7 million from a foreign financial institution, and targeted to steal $124 million from an English Premier League club. The 37-year-old began his career in Oworonshoki, a poor coastal area in the north-east of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. I went to Nigeria to meet the man who scammed me, AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, The burden of being cricket legend Tendulkar's son, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. [15], He is the subject of a 2017 song "Telli Person" by Nigerian singer Timaya featuring Olamide and Phyno, with whom he had a long-running feud. Is climate change killing Australian wine? BBC News, Pidgin. His clients understand that he was victimised, Mr Almazar explains. The social media platform told the BBC that it had carried out an investigation into his account but had decided not to close it. Neither are named in the court documents. BBC Na on top accuse say im dey plan to tiff plenty millions of dollars through business email compromise (BEC), yahoo-yahoo and oda mago-mago. Why you fit trust BBC News; How dem dey take use am; Hushpuppi: the Instagram influencer and international ", Seye says everyone knows Hushpuppi has committed a crime, but it is understandable: "No-one prays to be poor. "We cannot say with 100% certainty that Hushpuppi is behind it," Mr Almazar says. According to the affidavit[24] other communications between Abbas and one of his co-conspirators indicated that the two had conspired to "launder tens, and at times hundreds, of millions of dollars that were proceeds of other fraudulent schemes and computer intrusions, including a fraudulent scheme to steal 100 million ($124 million) from an English Premier League football club. The 37-year-old, who was arrested by the FBI in a Los Angeles raid, has pleaded guilty to money laundering. Stay informed. "But they also have to cover their losses, so right now he doesn't know how he can get back to the UAE. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. Read about our approach to external linking. Sorry, no headlines or news topics were found. Get the day's top headlines delivered to your inbox. And now Mr Kyari too is wanted in the US on charges of fraud, money laundering and identity theft. Abbas was one of the most prolific money launderers in the world, Don Alway, assistant director in charge of the FBIs Los Angeles office, said in the statement. By clicking "OK" or continuing to use this site, you agree that we may collect and use your personal data and set Local driver Seye told the BBC that he remembered Abbas as a young boy working alongside his mother in the Olojojo market. [37] Specifically, the study showed that the criminalization of people indigenous to southern Nigeria, such as Hushpuppi, differs substantially from that of Northerners, suggesting that more Southerners are more implicated in internet fraud than Northerners. Premium Times (November 2022). 2023 BBC. Hushpuppi Click here to sign-in and subscribe via a link sent to your email. He assumed the identity of a New York banker to entrap his victim, a Qatari businessperson seeking a $15m loan to build a new school in the Gulf state. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Read about our approach to external linking. Tweets and reactions: revealing the geographies of cybercrime perpetrators and the North-South divide. His lawyer Michael B Nash told the judge at a detention hearing on Thursday that he had not had a chance to speak to his client. Assignment reveals the inside story of Ramon Abbas, one of a new breed of global cyber-fraudsters. "OMG. This article contains content provided by Instagram. Professionals were victimised. We contacted Instagram to ask why his account was still open. In February 2019, $14.7 million was transferred out of the bank through false international transactions to accounts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, and Hong Kong. He pleaded guilty in 2020 to one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, prosecutors said. Dr Oyenuga says Hushpuppi's influence endures as he is still regarded as a role model: "We're in a country where a lot of young people are suffering. This Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. TittlePress Between December 2019 and February 2020, Abbas and a gang of alleged middlemen in Kenya, Nigeria and the US groomed and conned the victim out of more than a million dollars. [33] On 8 November 2022, Hushpuppi was sentenced to over 11 years (135 months) in a federal prison. Too bad they caught on, or it would have been a nice pay out.". Hushpuppi latest news: US justice department dismiss Hushpuppi $400 fraud in prison tori 17 March 2022 Instagram/@hushpuppi Ramon Olorunwa Abbas aka One Million Dollars Per Constituency: Middle Belt Dev't Authority commissions three projects. "Authorities say, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, perfected a simple internet scam and laundered millions of dollars. Email scams typically try to steal an individual's personal information, or to defraud them by impersonating a legitimate business contact and tricking the target into sending money into a wrong account. Please click 'Create Account and Subscribe' to create a new account and subscribe to our email alerts. 2023 BBC. 2023 Grace Experience: Ga West Presbytery holds forum to empower women - Anigyee Kasee - Adom TV, First video of Hushpuppi in prison after sentencing pops up, Hushpuppi sentenced to 11 years in prison, Instagram explains suspension of Hushpuppis account, Hes best cleaner in prison; have mercy Hushpuppis lawyer to court, Hushpuppi allegedly caught in fresh $400k fraud while in prison, Lilwin mourns after being hit with sad news, Akufo-Addo appeals for concessionary loans from World Bank, IMF, Netizens criticise designer for poor fit of brides kente corset dress, Kwabena Agyapong wades into Frimpong Boatengs galamsey report, I was an absentee mother Otiko Djaba on why she rejected ambassador job, Sudan crisis: The football coach forced to flee Khartoum, Photos of level 300 UCC student found dead in her hostel, How a pastor embarrassed me after church due to body odour Joseph Mensah, Bride steals spotlight with her backless gown with long pleated train, Kwabena Duffuor II reacts to campaign posters with Mahama. He has spent his life in the UAE. To view this content choose accept and continue. His social media posts showed him living a life of luxury, complete with private jets, ultra-expensive cars and high-end clothes and watches. July 5, 2022. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. hushpuppi Hushpuppi alleges bribing DCP Abba "[12], Many news platforms have reported that Abbas was once a second-hand clothes seller in Lagos. According to the FBI, in 2020 BEC fraud resulted in losses of $1.8bn. He texted his contact Nigerian police officer Abba Kyari saying: I want him to go through serious beating of his life. In May 2019, Abbas was tasked with setting up a bank account in Mexico. De external site no concern BBC. Dr Oyenuga says Hushpuppi's influence endures as he is still regarded as a role model: "We're in a country where a lot of young people are suffering. [38][39] A short documentary about the life of Hushpuppi till his arrest has been released by both Bloomberg[40] and BBC Africa.[41]. BEC fraud is a huge issue across the world. [22] U.S. authorities also accused him of aiding North Korean hackers in money laundering.[23]. 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US Department of Justice dismiss di report on Thursday wen dem react to di viral tori. Hushpuppi He assumed the identity of a New York banker to entrap his victim, a Qatari businessperson seeking a $15m loan to build a new school in the Gulf state. The rise and fall of Hushpuppi the social media influencer and global money-launderer. But everyone knew the source of his mysterious wealth - cybercrime; he was a "Yahoo", Seye says. Experts don bin tell BBC Pidgin say if court find Hushpuppi guilty of di accuse, e fit face maximum prison sentence of nothing less than 20 years for federal prison. U.S. court fixes new date for Hushpuppis trial