Ramon Abbas, the Nigerian Instagram personality known as “Hushpuppi“, has been brought before a court in California, where his trial is set to start on October 13.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and other related crimes.
The 37-year-old, famous for showing off luxury online, was arrested in Dubai in June by UAE police working with the FBI.
According to an affidavit cited by PREMIUM TIMES, the FBI claims he funded his lavish lifestyle through criminal activities. They say he led a group involved in hacking, business email compromise (BEC) scams, and money laundering, with victims in the U.S. losing hundreds of millions of dollars.
In July, he and Olalekan Ponle (Woodberry) were extradited to Chicago. Since the court there did not have jurisdiction, he was moved to Los Angeles, where he has been held in federal custody since late July.
After his first appearance on August 17, prosecutors filed the needed documents for his arraignment, and he officially pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Abbas will go to trial with his lawyer, Vicki Podberesky, supported by Chicago-based attorney Gal Pissetzky, who is allowed to join the case pro hac vice.
He asked to be prosecuted by a complaint instead of an indictment, and the court accepted his waiver. A complaint is a statement of key facts from law enforcement, while an indictment is issued by a grand jury. He may have chosen this because grand juries are often seen as being under prosecutors’ influence.
Mr. Abbas and his lawyer are expected in court before Judge Otis D. Wright II at 9 a.m. on October 13.
If he is convicted, he could face up to 20 years in a U.S. federal prison.
