Hushpuppi Must Pay $1.7 Million To Victims And Serve 11 Years In Prison, Per US Court Order
Hushpuppi, a well-known Instagram user, was eventually given an 11-year and 3-month jail term for fraud by a United States District Court for the Central District of California.
On Monday, November 7, United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II sentenced the 40-year-old and mandated that Abbas pay $1,732,841 in compensation to two fraud victims.
According to the court, Hushpuppi planned to use internet fraud to launder tens of millions of dollars while boasting about his opulent, crime-funded lifestyle on social media.
Ten months after his June 2020 arrest in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), he entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to participate in money laundering in April 2021.
Since being kicked out of the UAE, Hushpuppi has remained in US federal detention.
According to a statement issued by the US court:
According to United States Attorney Martin Estrada, “Abbas boasted on social media about his opulent lifestyle, a lifestyle fueled by his participation in international fraud and money laundering schemes targeting victims throughout the globe.”
“We will continue to cooperate with our law enforcement and foreign partners to locate and punish those involved, wherever they may be. Money laundering and business email compromise scams are a significant global criminal issue.”
Don Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said that Ramon Abbas, also known as “Hushpuppi,” targeted both domestic and foreign victims and rose to the position of one of the most active money launderers in the world.
“Abbas used his social media platforms, where he had built up a sizable fan base, to gain notoriety and boast about the enormous wealth he had amassed through online bank heists, business email compromise scams, and other cyber-enabled fraud that left a large number of victims broke and helped the North Korean regime.
“This significant sentence is the result of years of cooperation among law enforcement in numerous 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,” according to the statement.
In a handwritten letter sent to Judge Otis D. Wright, Abbas expressed regret for his misdeeds and promised to compensate his victims with his own money. He further claimed that the offense for which he was being prosecuted had only netted him $300,000.
