Hushpuppi, Nigerian socialite and social media influencer will be sentenced on July 11, as US court moves sentencing from February to July
By Kehinde Okeowo
The United States District Court for the Central District of California has postponed the sentencing of Ramon Abbas better known as Hushpuppi from February 14 to July 11, 2022.
This means Hushpuppi, who was arrested last year for his involvement in $24m internet fraud, will have to wait for the next five months to know how long he would spend in jail.
The postponement order was granted by Judge Otis. D. Wright in Los Angeles following a request issued by Hushpuppi’s lawyers, led by Louis Shapiro.
“At the request of counsel, the sentencing is continued to July 11, 2022, at 11:00 am,” the court document read after the decision was taken on February 2, 2021.
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The social media influencer was previously scheduled to be sentenced on February 14, after almost two years in detention in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and Los Angeles in the United States for allegedly laundering $24 million.
Abbas pleaded guilty on April 20, 2021, and, according to Neusroom, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed the date in an email on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
Hushpuppi, 37, is known for posting photos of his lavish lifestyle on Instagram where he has 2.6 million followers.
Court documents filed in California said Hushpuppi’s crimes cost victims almost $24 million in total.
In one scheme, Hushpuppi attempted to steal more than $1.1 million from someone who wanted to fund a new children’s school in Qatar, the documents said.
The documents state that between January 18, 2019, and June 9, 2020, Hushpuppi and others targeted multiple victims and laundered illicit funds in banks all over the world.
Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai, where he lived, in June 2020.
