The United States Attorney’s Office in the Central District
of California has said that Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, and his co-conspirator
used crime proceeds to acquire St. Christopher and Nevis citizenship.
St. Christopher and Nevis is a dual-island nation situated
between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is known for beautiful
mountains and beaches, according to Wikipedia.
This was contained in a statement released on Wednesday by
the court titled, ‘Six Indicted in International Scheme to Defraud Qatari
School Founder and then Launder over $1 Million in Illicit Proceeds’.
The district attorney’s office also alleged that Hushpuppi,
who pleaded guilty to various charges, including money laundering, wire fraud,
and felony, among others, used Abba Kyari, a leader of the Inspector-General of
Police’s Intelligence Response Team, to jail one of his [Hushpuppi’s]
associates named Chibuzo Vincent.
Kyari, however, explained in a Facebook post that Hushpuppi
called his office and reported a death threat from someone about two years ago.
The cop said the suspect, Vincent, was arrested but later
released after investigations revealed that “they are long time friends who
have money issues between them.”
Kyari also said that he did not receive any money from
Hushpuppi.
Hushpuppi allegedly conspired with five others — including
Vincent — to defraud a businessperson in Qatar by claiming to be consultants
and bankers who could facilitate a loan to finance the construction of a
school, according to the indictment by the court.
Hushpuppi’s associates include 40-year-old Vincent from
Nigeria; and 28-year-old Abdulrahman Juma from Kenya. Others are Yusuf
Anifowoshe, 26; Rukayat Fashola, 28; and Bolatito Agbabiaka, 34 — all
Nigerians, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
“Approximately $230,000 of the stolen funds allegedly were
used to purchase a Richard Mille RM11-03 watch, which was hand-delivered to
Abbas in Dubai and subsequently appeared in Hushpuppi’s social
“Other illicit proceeds from the scheme were allegedly
converted into cashier’s checks, including $50,000 in checks that were used by
Abbas and a co-conspirator to fraudulently acquire a St. Christopher and Nevis
citizenship, as well as a passport for Abbas obtained by creating a false
marriage certificate and then bribing a government official in St. Kitts,” the
statement partly read.
Acting United States Attorney, Tracy Wilkison, said, “Mr.
Abbas, who played a significant role in the scheme, funded his luxurious
lifestyle by laundering illicit proceeds generated by con artists who use
increasingly sophisticated means. In conjunction with our law enforcement
partners, we will identify and prosecute perpetrators of business email
compromise scams, which is a massive and growing international crime problem.”
Also, Kristi Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of
the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, described Hushpuppi as one of “the most
high-profile money launderers in the world”.
“His celebrity status and ability to make connections seeped
into legitimate organizations and led to several spin-off schemes in the U.S.
and abroad. Today’s announcement deals a crucial blow to this international
network and hopefully serves as a warning to potential victims targeted with
this type of theft,” Johnson added.
In a plea agreement document sighted by The PUNCH on
Wednesday, Hushpuppi pleaded guilty as charged.
The document was signed by Hushpuppi; his lawyer, Loius
Shapiro; and Acting United States Attorney, Tracy Wilkison, among others.
It stated that Hushpuppi risks “20 years’ imprisonment; a
three-year period of supervised release; a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross
gain or gross loss resulting from the offence.”
The document, however, did not mention the date of the plea
hearing.
Hushpuppi is known to have flaunted his luxury lifestyle in
private jets with exotic wines and expensive wristwatches.
His social media handles were replete with photos of his
ostentatious lifestyle before his arrest last year June in Dubai, after which
he was extradited to the US where he is being prosecuted for money laundering
and internet fraud-related charges.
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