Ramon Abbas, the Nigerian Instagram celebrity with the nomenclature “Hushpuppi“, has been arraigned in an American court in California as his trial begins on October 13.
Mr Abbas pleaded not
guilty to the four-count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering
conspiracies, international money laundering and engaging in monetary
transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.
In June, the
37-year-old known for flaunting an opulent lifestyle on social media, was
arrested in Dubai by special operatives of the Emerati police and American
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The FBI’s
investigation, according to the affidavit obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, alleged
that Mr Abbas financed this extravagant lifestyle through crime.
He is alleged to be
the leader of a group that facilitates computer intrusion, business email
compromise (BEC) fraud and money laundering.
His targeted
victims, majorly in the U.S, had been duped of hundreds of millions of dollars,
the FBI says.
In July, Mr Abbas
alongside Olalekan Ponle, popularly known as Woodberry, was extradited to
Chicago in the United States where he was first arraigned.
However, because the
U.S. Court in Illinois does not have jurisdiction over the case, he was
transferred to Los Angeles, a city in California.
Since his transfer
to California late July, he has been held in the custody of the U.S. Marshal in
a federal prison.
Arraignment
Meanwhile, the
prosecutor kickstarted the process of arraignment by filling necessary
documents and forms after his first appearance on August 17.
After the pre-trial
services, Mr Abbas entered a plea, insisting that he is not guilty of the
charges.
In the documents
obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Abbas agreed to go to trial with his lawyer,
Vicki Podberesky, a top-rated lawyer in California.
Mrs Podberesky will
be assisted by Gal Pissetzky, a Chicago-based lawyer appearing pro hac vice
because he is not licensed to practise outside Chicago.
Nevertheless, he has
pleaded that he should be prosecuted with complaint and not indictment. This he
did by filing a waiver of indictment accepted by the court.
A complaint is the
statement of the law enforcement agents containing essential facts of the
offenses.
On the other hand,
to obtain an indictment, a prosecutor must present proposed charges to a grand
jury – a body of jurors that investigates crimes and decides whether charges
should be filed.
His decision to opt
for complaint might be borne out of the criticism that the grand jury is easily
manipulated by the prosecutor, undermining its objectivity and fairness.
Mr Abbas and his
counsel, Mrs Podberesky, are to appear before District Judge Otis D. Wright II
by 9 a.m on October 13.
If convicted, the
one-time Instagram sensation may spend the next 20 years in the U.S federal
prison.
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