My regrets, my apologies for my fraudulent schemes – Hushpuppi

Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi, a Nigerian Instagram celebrity awaiting sentencing in a US court, has regretted his involvement in the fraudulent schemes for which he has been detained since June 2020.

Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in June 2020 and then taken to the United States, where he pleaded guilty to the charges in July 2021.

Trial Judge Otis Wright has set November 7 as the date for Hushpuppi's sentencing, according to a court opinion obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

Prior to his sentencing, Hushpuppi requested clemency in the three-page handwritten letter he sent to the judge at the Central Valley Annex Prions in McFarland, Calif.

He specifically expressed regret for allowing greed to destroy his last name and apologized for his actions.

Mr. Abbas said he would make better choices and better friends if he could turn back time.

"Your honor, I make no excuses for my actions and I take full responsibility for what I have done. If I could turn back time, I would make a totally different decision and be more careful in my choices. and the friends I make.

"Since being incarcerated, I have had enough time to reflect on the past and I regret that I let greed ruin my family's good name, my blessing and my name," he said. he declared.

He apologized to the victims of his crimes, law enforcement, US government attorneys and the judge handling his case.

"I would like to specifically apologize to the victims in the matter in which I am involved, from count(s) one through five and more personal to....and his entire family.

"I apologize to law enforcement officers who have worked tirelessly to make the world a safer place and to the entire US Attorney's Office for the excellent job of upholding the law against criminals like me; And to the court and to you, Your Honor, for serving justice impartially over the years."

In his emotional letter to the judge, he also apologized to his family members, including his parents and three children aged four, five and eight.

He expressed hope that the children would forgive him by fully understanding the events unfolding in the future.

"I also apologize to my parents, to my family members, for whom this case has affected their lives, to my friends and supporters, whom I have disappointed, to my children, even if they are -being too young to understand why I am absent from their lives, I hope one day they will see this and forgive me, and I hope God will forgive me too,” he said.

The 39-year-old, known for flaunting his opulent lifestyle on social media, was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by special agents including Emerati police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in June 2020.

He was flown to the United States where he was charged with money laundering offences.

Mr. Abbas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in money laundering in July 2021.

The FBI said in an affidavit obtained by PREMIUM TIMES that its investigations revealed that Mr. Abbas funded this extravagant lifestyle with the proceeds of crime.

Hushpuppi, according to the U.S. government, "knowingly combined, agreed, and conspired with several other persons ("co-conspirators") to conduct financial transactions to, within, and outside the United States involving goods which represented the proceeds of the fraudulent transfer" from at least January 18, 2019 to June 9, 2020.

His co-conspirators, according to prosecutors, targeted multiple victims and laundered and/or attempted to launder funds fraudulently obtained, and attempted to be fraudulently obtained, through cyber bank heists, Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud and other fraudulent schemes.

The intended victims of the plot with...