Ramon Abass popularly known as Hushpuppi has been sentenced to 11 years and three months imprisonment by a United States District Court in the Central District of California.
VANTAGE NEWS reports that Hushpuppi whose arrest in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates made international headlines was sentenced for money laundering and conspiracy through several online scams.
The judgement was delivered on Monday by Justice Otis Wright II.
Hushpuppi was found guilty of the allegations including laundering proceeds of a school financing scam, business email compromise and other fraudulent cyber schemes levied against him.
VANTAGE NEWS reports that Hushpuppi is expected to spend only nine years in prison, having spent two of the eleven years sentence in jail during the trial.
A statement by the US court quoting, US Attorney Martin Estrada reads, “Abbas bragged on social media about his lavish lifestyle – a lifestyle funded by his involvement in transnational fraud and money laundering conspiracies targeting victims around the world.
Money laundering and business email compromise scams are a massive international crime problem, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement and international partners to identify and prosecute those involved, wherever they may be.
“Ramon Abbas, a.k.a. ‘Hushpuppi,’ targeted both American and international victims, becoming one of the most prolific money launderers in the world,” said Don Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
“Abbas leveraged his social media platforms – where he amassed a considerable following – to gain notoriety and to brag about the immense wealth he acquired by conducting business email compromise scams, online bank heists and other cyber-enabled fraud that financially ruined scores of victims and provided assistance to the North Korean regime.
“This significant sentence is the result of years’ worth of collaboration among law enforcement in multiple countries and should send a clear warning to international fraudsters that the FBI will seek justice for victims, regardless of whether criminals operate within or outside United States borders.”
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