- Alleged fraudster, Hushpuppi transferred to California for prosecution
- The Instagram sensation was arraigned in a Chicago court on Monday and denied bail despite pleas by his lawyer.
Embattled Nigerian socialite and alleged fraudster, Ramon Abass AKA Hushpuppi, has been transferred to the Central District of California for prosecution.
The Instagram sensation was arraigned in a Chicago court on Monday and denied bail despite pleas by his lawyer.
On Tuesday, he was promptly transferred to the Central District of California for prosecution and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal in accordance to 18 U.S.C. § 3142(f).
Hushpuppi was denied bail in the United States in spite of his lawyer, Gal Pissetzky insisting that his job as an Instagram celebrity pays for his expenditures.
Hushpuppi’s lawyers, in his defense, revealed that his job as an Instagram socialite is what pays for his $10,000 monthly rent on his luxury Dubai flat. They had applied for him to leave jail with an electronic tag and live with the uncle of a woman with whom he has a child with, but US prosecutors opposed the bail application.
His lawyers said,
“He is loved and respected. He is a celebrity.
“I don’t see the reason why he would want to ruin his credibility in the world and his status rather than stay here and face this allegation.
“Anywhere he goes, people will know. Having grown up very poor in Nigeria, Mr Abbas is now paid to pose with high-priced items such as Louis Vuitton bags that people would buy after seeing his posts on Instagram.
“He is an influencer. That’s a job today, as much as it is hard to imagine. That’s a full-time job.”
Hushpuppi and another cyber-heist suspect, Olalekan Jacob Ponle, also known as Mr Woodberry were arrested in Dubai, where they lived, in June.
They were later taken to the US where they appeared in a Chicago court on 3 July.
