If claims by the United States Justice Department are anything to go by, Ramon Abbas (a.k.a Hushpuppi) may have taken part in a North Korean-perpetrated cyber-enabled heist from a Maltese bank.
Abbas was in July 2020 charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles with conspiring to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from “business email compromise” (BEC) frauds and other scams.
Then on Wednesday, the Department added more details to one of the scams — working with North Korean hackers to launder funds stolen from a Maltese bank.
Relations between the United States and North Korea have for long remained frosty despite the visit of the erstwhile American president, Donald Trump to the country during his tenure.
Accusations and counter-accusations are not strange between the two nuclear powers.
In July, Abbas’ then-lawyer, Gal Pissetzky, told Forbes that Abbas was not guilty of the charges and described Abbas as “an entrepreneur” who made his money legitimately through “real estate” and his work “promoting brands” as an “Instagram personality.”
Abbas is a Nigerian influencer with more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram. He has built a global following from posting pictures of his lavish spending on cars, watches, designer clothes and private jets.
However, in late June, the 38-year-old was arrested in Dubai and arrived in the U.S. on July 3 to face criminal charges over allegations that he made “hundreds of millions of dollars” from business email compromise frauds and other scams.
