‘Hushpuppi Is Into Real Estate, Not A Fraudster’, Lawyer Claims

Gal Pissetzky, lawyer to cyber-crime suspect, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, also known as, Hushpuppi, has claimed his client is not an internet fraudster as alleged.

Hushpuppi who was arrested in Dubai and extradited to the US, is facing criminal charges for “conspiring to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from Business Email Compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams, including schemes targeting a U.S. law firm, a foreign bank and an English Premier League soccer club”, MERIDIAN SPY reported.

If convicted of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, the self-acclaimed Instagram influencer would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

But Pissetzky told Forbes the Instagram socialite is not guilty of the crimes, adding that Hushpuppi runs a legitimate business.

“Absolutely not guilty of (the) charges they are accusing him of (Abbas) was running a legitimate business and a very legitimate Instagram account and did not take part in any scam or fraud,” he said.

In a criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles, the US federal prosecutors had alleged that the 37-year-old Nigerian, who is known for flaunting designer clothes, wearing expensive watches, and posing in or with luxury cars and charter jets to his 2.4 million followers on Instagram, finances his opulent lifestyle through crime.

But his legal counsel who works with a Chicago-based law firm, Pissetzky & Berliner, denied the allegations against his client, noting that Hushpuppi was able to afford the lifestyle through his involvement in real estate business and brand promotion.

“He’s an entrepreneur. He has real estate involvement … (he’s) an Instagram personality,” he said. “He was promoting brands and that’s how he was very legitimately making his money.”

“Abbas is friends with a lot of people. Somebody who has that many followers – obviously he knows and has friends in a lot of places … it’s all legitimate.” 

Hushpuppi is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anil J. Antony and Joseph B. Woodring of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.