Hushpuppi, a Nigerian Instagram celebrity and allegedly mega fraudster, has been arraigned in a court in California, United States, ahead of his trial on October 13.
Thirty-Seven years old Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas, pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, international money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.
News Central reports Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by special operatives of the Emerati police and American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in June 2020.
Before his arrest, Hushpuppi is known for flaunting a luxury lifestyle, filled with Gucci products and state of the art automobiles, on Instagram. The FBI’s investigation, according to the affidavit, alleged Hushpuppi financed this extravagant lifestyle through crime.
He is alleged to be the leader of a group that facilitates computer intrusion, business email compromise fraud, and money laundering.
His targeted victims, majorly in the United States, had been duped of hundreds of millions of dollars, the FBI says.