For years, not much was known
about the love life of Ramon Abbas, the Nigerian Instagram celebrity accused of
fraud.
Popularly called Hushpuppi, Mr
Abbas was arrested for wire fraud in Dubai in June 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 his Instagram page but never for once, did he reveal the women in
his life.
Although he has been romantically
linked with some Nigerian celebrities and Instagram socialites in the past, he
never publicly identified with them; at least not on his verified Instagram
handle which boasts 2.5 million followers.
His Instagram page was a mini
catalog dedicated to showing off his cars, clothes, shoes, and jet-set
lifestyle. It screamed luxury and nothing more.
Exposé
As part of his ongoing celebrated
trial, Hushpuppi has revealed that he has three children from three different
women. He said two of the children live in London and the third lives in New
York City.
He told Pretrial Services that he
has had an on-again/off-again relationship with the last child’s mother for the
last five years.
Pretrial Services Programs are
procedures in the U.S. to prepare cases for trial in court.
Pretrial services said the
woman’s uncle lives in the Chicago area where he works as a Uber driver. He
offered to be a third-party custodian for Abbas and would allow Abbas to live
with him.
They added that there is no
indication that Abbas knows or ever has met the man as Abbas has never been to
Chicago. Pretrial Services did not recommend this residential placement and the
court agreed.
The United States Court sitting
in Illinois listed the information above as one of the five major reasons for
Hushpuppi’s continued detention.
St. Kitts and Nevis
The Government of St. Kitts and
Nevis issued a statement concerning Hushpuppi’s citizenship status on its
official website on July 6.
The Government of St. Kitts and
Nevis said it became aware of reports and rumours concerning Hushpuppi’s
Federation’s citizenship.
It read, “We note that the
Nigeria-born Mr. Abbas, 37, was granted a St. Kitts and Nevis passport in
February 2020 by virtue of his marriage to Shawana Nakesia Chapman, 32, a
citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis by birth and the United States of America.
“Ms. Chapman, a resident of North
Carolina, USA, married Mr. Abbas in Nigeria in October 2018, thereby conferring
him with the right to St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship”.
They also added that any
suggestion that the citizenship was obtained through means other than marriage
– such as the country’s Citizenship by Investment program, which includes
rigorous background checks – is therefore utterly false and willfully
misleading.
Roadblocks
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
with 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.
“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 a 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.
He might spend the next twenty
years in prison if convicted of the crime.”
culled: PremiumTimes
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