The United States Court sitting
in Illinois has given five major reasons for the continued detention of Ramon
Abbas, the Nigerian Instagram celebrity accused of fraud.
Also referred to as Hushpuppi, Mr
Abbas was arrested last month in Dubai for wire fraud and extradited to the U.S
on July 3.
Before his arrest, the
37-year-old was resident in Dubai and known for flaunting extravagant
lifestyles on social media.
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation alleged that Mr Abbas was part of a network that made “hundreds
of millions of dollars” from business email compromise frauds and other scams.
He was formerly held in the
Metropolitan Correction Centre in Chicago, United States but now, would be
transported to Los Angeles by the U.S. Marshals Service, a court in the
Northern District of Illinois ruled.
Mr Abbas, appearing at the
detention hearing in July, was also denied the chance to stay with his
girlfriend’s uncle in Homewood, Illinois, Forbes reported.
His trial will continue in Los
Angeles where the case was first filed and not from Chicago where the
investigation is being handled.
Reasons for bail denial
In a comprehensive report on the
detention hearing, the court gave some reasons for the refusal to grant his
bail.
The report released on Monday was
based on the recommendations of the Pretrial services, which provides the court
quality information about the defendants.
The court concluded that the
defendant must be detained pending trial because the government has proven that
no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the
defendant’s appearance as required.
“The court agreed with the
recommendation of Pretrial Services that Mr Abbas presents a risk of
non-appearance and that he should be removed to the charging district in
California in custody.”
In addition to the findings made
on the record at the hearing, the court cited five major factors for the
detention.
The factors include the fact that
Mr Abbas is subject to a lengthy period of incarceration if convicted, lacks
significant community or family ties to the district, has significant family or
other ties outside the United States, lacks legal status in the country and
will be subjected to removal or deportation for serving any period of
incarceration.
The Order says, “The court agrees
with the recommendation of Pretrial Services that Mr Abbas presents a serious
risk of nonappearance and that he should be removed to the charging district in
California in custody. In addition, the Court finds Abbas presents a serious
risk of flight to avoid this prosecution with the meaning of 18 USC 3142(f)(2).
The Court stated the reasons for its ruling on the record during the removal
hearing held on July 13, 2020. The additional notes contained in this Order are
consistent with the reasons stated on the record and are intended to supplement
rather than supplant those statements.
Mr Abbas is not a United States
citizen and has no significant ties to the United States. If he is convicted of
the charges, he faces deportation once he serves any custodial sentence that
might be imposed. If the allegations in the complaint are true, Abbas has
sufficient assets to fund flight to anywhere in the world, and he has ties to
many foreign countries. Abbas reportedly rents an apartment in Dubai for
$10,000 a month and drives a Bentley. He is alleged to have committed financial
crimes that netted tens of millions of dollars or more.
“Although the defence proffers
that Abbas is loved and respected in Dubai as a celebrity and, therefore, he
would stay in the United States to fight these charges and clear his name, the
inference the Court takes from Abbas’s status in Dubai is that he has every
incentive to return there as soon as possible regardless of the pendency of
criminal charges in the United States.
“There is no good reason for
Abbas to stay in this country while these charges are pending. Abbas told
Pretrial Services he has lived in Nigeria most of his life and he still has
family there with whom he maintains frequent contact. During just the last few
years, Abbas also says he has lived in or visited Malaysia, Dubai, and Paris,
and the government proffers that Abbas recently obtained passports from St.
Kits and Nevis…
“For these reasons, and those
stated on the record, Abbas shall be removed to the charging district in the
custody of the US Marshal.
“The defendant is remanded to the
custody of the Attorney General or to the Attorney General’s representative for
confinement in a corrections facility separate, to the extent practicable, from
persons awaiting or serving sentences or being held in custody pending appeal.
The defendant must be afforded a reasonable opportunity for private
consultation with defence counsel. On order of a court of the United States or
on request of an attorney for the Government, the person in charge of the
corrections facility must deliver the defendant to a United States Marshal for
the purpose of an appearance in connection with a court proceeding.”
Mr Abbas might spend the next
twenty years in prison if convicted of the crime.
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