This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-63542573

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Hushpuppi: Notorious Nigerian fraudster jailed for 11 years in US Hushpuppi: Notorious Nigerian fraudster jailed for 11 years in US
(about 2 hours later)
Hushpuppi's Instagram page remained available, even after he pleaded guilty to money launderingHushpuppi's Instagram page remained available, even after he pleaded guilty to money laundering
A notorious Instagram influencer from Nigeria has been jailed for more than 11 years in the US for his role in an international fraud syndicate.A notorious Instagram influencer from Nigeria has been jailed for more than 11 years in the US for his role in an international fraud syndicate.
Hushpuppi, real name Ramon Abbas, flaunted his wealthy lifestyle on his page which had 2.8 million followers until it was disabled. Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas, was also ordered to pay $1,732,841 (£1,516,182) in restitution to two victims.
The judge in Los Angeles also ordered him to pay $1,732,841 (£1,516,182) in restitution to two fraud victims. The influencer rose to fame flaunting his wealthy lifestyle on his page, which boasted 2.8 million followers.
Abbas will serve his sentence of 135 months in a federal prison. But it all came crashing down when he was arrested in Dubai two years ago.
Last year he pleaded guilty to money laundering. According to Don Alway, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, Abbas had - behind the glitz of his account - become "one of the most prolific money launderers in the world".
Abbas admitted to attempting to steal more than $1.1m from someone who wanted to fund a new children's school in Qatar, court documents in California say. "Abbas leveraged his social media platforms... to gain notoriety and to brag about the immense wealth he acquired by conducting business email compromise scams, online bank heists and other cyber-enabled fraud that financially ruined scores of victims and provided assistance to the North Korean regime," Mr Alway said in a court document on Monday.
The fraudster tricked his victim into providing funds for the school "by playing the roles of bank officials and creating a bogus website", according to a statement from the then-acting US Attorney Tracy Wilkinson on the US justice department's website. Other suspects were allegedly also involved, the US justice department said, with Abbas playing a key role. Abbas pleaded guilty to money laundering last year, admitting attempting to steal more than $1.1m from someone who wanted to fund a new children's school in Qatar. Court documents in California say he played a key role in the scheme, playing "the roles of bank officials and creating a bogus website".
Abbas also admitted to "several other cyber and business email compromise schemes that cumulatively caused more than $24 million in losses", the US justice department said. He also admitted to "several other cyber and business email compromise schemes that cumulatively caused more than $24 million in losses", the US justice department said.
"Ramon Abbas... targeted both American and international victims, becoming one of the most prolific money launderers in the world," said Don Alway, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, in a court document on Monday. Among them was a 2019 scheme, which plunged the European island of Malta into chaos as payment systems shut down after he tried to launder €13m ($13m) stolen by a gang of North Korean hackers from the Maltese Bank of Valletta.
"Abbas leveraged his social media platforms... to gain notoriety and to brag about the immense wealth he acquired by conducting business email compromise scams, online bank heists and other cyber-enabled fraud that financially ruined scores of victims and provided assistance to the North Korean regime. At one point on Instagram, Abbas said he was a real estate developer and had a category of videos called "Flexing" - social media lingo for showing off.
"This significant sentence is the result of years' worth of collaboration among law enforcement in multiple countries and should send a clear warning to international fraudsters that the FBI will seek justice for victims, regardless of whether criminals operate within or outside United States borders." In 2020, he renewed his lease for another year at the exclusive Palazzo Versace apartments in Dubai under his real name and phone number.
Abbas apologised for his crimes to Judge Otis D Wright in a handwritten note, saying he would use his personal funds to pay back his victims. He also said he had only made $300,000 from the crime he was being tried for. "Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings in my life. Continue to shame those waiting for me to be shamed," he captioned an Instagram picture of a Rolls-Royce just a fortnight before he was arrested.
Abbas' luxurious lifestyle came to an abrupt end in 2020, when he was arrested while living in Dubai. Those who knew Lagos-born Abbas before his transformation into Hushpuppi allege these are not the first scams he has carried out.
His Instagram account, which featured pricey cars and designer clothing, was worlds away from his humble beginnings. He allegedly started his fraudulent lifestyle as a "Yahoo boy" - the Nigerian term for men who commit romance fraud by stealing other people's identities online and swindling their none-the-wiser lovers out of money.
A Lagos driver called Saye told the BBC back in 2021 that he developed a taste for the finer things in life - but was always "generous".
"He used to buy beer for everyone around," he said.
Hushpuppi had a huge following on his now deactivated Instagram accountHushpuppi had a huge following on his now deactivated Instagram account
Those who knew Abbas as a child had told the BBC that his father was a taxi driver and his mother a market trader, but as he grew older he developed a weakness for splashing the cash. "He was generous. He used to buy beer for everyone around," a local driver called Seye said. However, Abbas' supporters say he is a changed man.
According to Seye, he allegedly started his fraudulent lifestyle as a "Yahoo boy", which in Nigeria, refers to men who commit romance fraud by stealing other people's identities online and swindling their none-the-wiser lovers out of money. According to Nigerian newspaper Permium Times, two imams wrote to the judge in Los Angeles appealing for leniency, saying he regularly helped out widows and orphans, as well as donating to things like feeding programmes.
In 2019, one of Abbas' fraud schemes, which at this point had become worldwide affairs, had plunged the European island of Malta into chaos as payment systems shut down after Abbas tried to launder €13m ($13m) stolen by a gang of North Korean hackers from the Maltese Bank of Valletta in 2019. Meanwhile, his wife said his arrest had plunged her into hardship - noting that she had to overtime in order to pay for their child's private education.
Abbas himself apologised for his crimes to Judge Otis D Wright in a handwritten note, saying he would use his personal funds to pay back his victims. He also said he had only made $300,000 from the crime he was being tried for.
However, he was still sentenced to 135 months in a federal prison.