By Religion Karimi and Larry Madowo | CNN
A Nigerian social media influencer who flaunted a lavish life-style of personal jets and luxurious automobiles has been sentenced to 11 years in jail over prices associated to a multimillion greenback rip-off that focused firms in the US and abroad.
Ramon Abbas, identified to his tens of millions of Instagram followers as Ray Hushpuppi, pleaded responsible in April final 12 months to conspiracy to interact in cash laundering. Along with the jail sentence handed down on Monday, United States District Choose Otis D. Wright II ordered him to pay $1.7 million in restitution to 2 fraud victims.
It's a spectacular downfall for Abbas, 40, whose June 2020 arrest at his gilded perch in Dubai made headlines worldwide. Earlier than his sentencing, Abbas was held in federal detention in Los Angeles, his as soon as flamboyant social media account gone quiet — regardless of gaining 500,000 new followers since his arrest.
In a handwritten letter to the choose in September — the one direct phrase from him since his arrest — Abbas detailed his two years in detention.
“Since I've been incarcerated, I've had sufficient time to mirror on the previous and I remorse letting greed destroy the nice title of my household, my blessing and my title,” he wrote.
On social media, the place Abbas had posted movies of himself tossing wads of money like confetti, he referred to himself as an actual property developer. However federal investigators mentioned he financed his extravagant life-style by means of on-line hacking schemes that netted greater than $24 million.
His targets included a US legislation agency, a international financial institution and an unnamed British skilled soccer membership, amongst others, in keeping with a federal sentencing memorandum from the US Legal professional’s Workplace within the Central District of California.
“Cash laundering and enterprise e-mail compromise scams are a large worldwide crime drawback, and we'll proceed to work with our legislation enforcement and worldwide companions to establish and prosecute these concerned, wherever they might be,” mentioned Martin Estrada, a United States lawyer.
His letter to the choose detailed some scams
Abbas’ September letter to Choose Wright detailed how his co-conspirators reached out to him to pinpoint companies to rip-off or request banking info to switch fraudulently obtained funds.
His alleged cyber crimes concerned jaw-dropping quantities of cash.
Federal paperwork detailed how Abbas and a co-conspirator “fraudulently induced” a New York legislation agency to wire almost $923,000 meant for a consumer’s actual property refinancing to a checking account they managed. A paralegal on the agency acquired fraudulent wire directions after sending an e-mail to what gave the impression to be a authentic financial institution e-mail tackle however was later recognized as a “spoofed” tackle.
In such a enterprise e-mail compromise rip-off, criminals mimic an e-mail message or web site to make their communication seem prefer it’s from a identified supply making a request comparable to a cash switch.
Abbas additionally confessed to a conspiracy to defraud a Qatari businessman of greater than $1 million.
“The defendants allegedly faked the financing of a Qatari college by taking part in the roles of financial institution officers and making a bogus web site in a scheme that additionally bribed a international official to maintain the frilly pretense going after the sufferer was tipped off,” performing United States Legal professional Tracy L. Wilkison mentioned in an announcement final 12 months.
Since his arrest, Abbas mentioned, he’s had time to mirror on his errors.
“Your honor, I make no excuse for my actions and I take full duty for what I’ve achieved,” he wrote in his letter. “If I might flip again the hand of time, I'd make a wholly totally different determination and be extra cautious within the decisions and mates I make.”
One among his co-conspirators pleaded responsible in November 2020 to 1 rely of conspiracy to interact in cash laundering. He can also be serving 11 years in federal jail and has to pay greater than $30 million in restitution.
His social media account was a treasure trove of knowledge for investigators
Federal investigators have described Abbas as a prolific cash launderer who leveraged his social media platform to achieve notoriety and brag about his wealth.
A Nigerian nationwide primarily based in Dubai, Abbas made no secret of his opulent life-style. Earlier than his arrest, he referred to as himself the “Billionaire Gucci Grasp” on Snapchat.
“Began out my day having sushi down at Nobu in Monte Carlo, Monaco, then determined to e-book a helicopter to have … facials on the Christian Dior spa in Paris then ended my day having champagne in Gucci,” he wrote in a photograph caption on Instagram in 2020.
Photographs of him posing with a number of fashions of Bentley, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz and Rolls-Royce automobiles included the hashtag #AllMine. Others confirmed him rubbing elbows with worldwide sports activities stars and different celebrities.
In a 2020 affidavit, federal officers detailed how his social media accounts offered particulars wanted to substantiate his id.
The registration and account safety info related along with his Instagram profile, for instance, included an e-mail tackle and cellphone quantity. Federal officers accessed that info and have been in a position to hyperlink the e-mail and cellphone quantity to monetary transactions and transfers with folks the FBI believed have been his co-conspirators.
Even Abbas’ Instagram party pictures helped the investigation.
One such put up displayed a birthday cake topped with a Fendi emblem and a miniature picture of Abbas surrounded by tiny purchasing luggage. Investigators used that put up to confirm the date of beginning he had used on a earlier US visa utility.
In June 2020, United Arab Emirates investigators swooped into Abbas’ house on the unique Palazzo Versace resort in Dubai, arrested him and handed him over to FBI brokers.
Investigators on the scene seized almost $41 million, 13 luxurious automobiles price $6.8 million and cellphone and pc proof together with the e-mail addresses of almost 2 million potential victims, Dubai Police mentioned in an announcement.
“Thanks, Lord, for the various blessings in my life. Proceed to disgrace these ready for me to be shamed,” Abbas captioned an Instagram image of a Rolls-Royce simply two weeks earlier than his dramatic arrest.
The account has since been taken down.