Nigerian influencer Hushpuppi sentenced to 11 years in jail

By Wendy Sonye

Nigerian internet personality Ramon Abass, popularly known as Hushpuppi, will serve 11 years in jail after an American court found him guilty of fraud and money laundering.

His sentencing comes more than two years after he was arrested by police in Dubai, in June 2020, before being extradited to the United States for trial and sentencing.

He has been in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) since then.

According to the United States Central District Court in California, Hushpuppi will only serve 9 years in prison since he has been in detention at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Chicago for the past two years as the suit's determination continued.

The court says that on diverse dates between January 2019 and June 2020, Hushpuppi used an elaborate fraud scheme to dupe unsuspecting victims, swindle their money before laundering the loot to banks all over the world.

He was arrested alongside 11 other individuals.

The court, however, did not reveal the exact correctional facility where Hushpuppi will serve his 9-year sentence.

Prior to his arrest, Hushpuppi had a knack for flaunting  his lavish lifestyle on social media.

The pictures saw him become a social media sensation and at the height of his celebrity status he had over 2.5 million followers on Instagram.

Many believe that the snapshots eventually led to his downfall by drawing police to him.

During his trial, Hushpuppi is said to have pleaded with US Judge Otis Wright not to send him back to Nigeria.

He was reportedly very cooperative with police as investigations into the accusations tabled against him continued.