Contrary to reports making the rounds, the United States Attorney’s Office for Central District of California, Los Angeles has denied that alleged international internet fraudster Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Rather, Hushpuppi will now be sentenced on Monday, November 7, 2022.
This is according to the court’s Director of Media Relations, Thom Mrozek in a response to an email inquiry by Channels Television on Friday disclosed that
“The sentencing is now scheduled for Monday, November 7,”
This is contrary to viral reports that Hushpuppi had been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
With the November 7 date, the court has postponed Hushpuppi’s sentencing date for at least five times in 2022 alone since his conviction for alleged $1.1m Qatari fraud.
Hushpuppi was initially scheduled for sentencing on February 14 but it was moved to July 11 and to September 21 before it was postponed to November 3 and now to November 7.
Hushpuppi, 39, had entered a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to charges including money laundering, and wire fraud, amongst others brought against him by the court.
He risks “20 years’ imprisonment; a 3-year period of supervised release; a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offence,” according to court documents.
He was arrested in Dubai in June 2020 alongside 12 others and extradited to the US for prosecution.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had indicted the suspended Head of Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari, in the Hushpuppi case but Kyari had denied the fraud allegations.
Kyari was later arrested by the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in February for alleged drug-related offences. The NDLEA has since arraigned the suspended deputy police commissioner.
Remanded at the Kuje prison in Abuja, Kyari and his co-defendants hope to get bail at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
