A United States court in Los Angeles, California, Monday, sentenced Ramon Olorunwa Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi to over 135 months – over 11 years — in federal prison.
The US District Judge Otis D. Wright II ordered the 40-year-old international fraud kingpin to pay $1,732,841 in restitution to two of his victims,
The judge held that Hushpuppi conspired to launder tens of millions of dollars through online scams and flaunted his luxurious, crime-funded lifestyle on social media.
Hushpuppi pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, 10 months after he was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in June 2020.
He has remained in US federal custody since his expulsion from the UAE.
The United States Attorney Martin Estrada said: “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.
“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.”
Hushpuppi’s sentencing date had been postponed at least five times in 2022 alone. He 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 finally to November 7.