U.S court again postpones sentencing of Hushpuppi to Nov. 3

Thrice postponed date of sentencing by the United States District Court for the Central District of California on Nigerian convicted internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, has again suffered another postponement, as the court shifted it to November 3, 2022.

The sentencing date which was initially fixed for February 14 and later July 11, was last month confirmed to be September 21.

However, the latest postponement followed after the defendant (Abbas) secured an unexpected relief in the concluded trial.

The Nigerian Instagram celebrity and alleged internet fraudster was billed to be sentenced September 21.

Judge Otis D. Wright in Los Angeles said Mr Abbas will now be sentenced on the new date based on the court’s own motion.

Prosecutors had opposed delaying the sentencing any further than September 21, arguing that Mr Abbas and his lawyers had prior knowledge of all related matters in the case and were only out to delay and frustrate the judicial process.

Earlier, U.S Judge, Otis. D Wright had rejected a letter written by ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas over non-compliance with court rules.

The court documents filed before the United States District Court for the Central District Of California on Monday, however, showed that the judge struck out Abbas’s attempt to push for a lighter sentence.

“ORDER by Judge Otis D. Wright, II: the following document(s) be STRICKEN for failure to comply with the Local Rules, General Order and/or the Courts Case Management Order: Sentencing Letter[86] filed by Defendant Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, for the following reasons: Letters ARE NOT ALLOWED for filing pursuant to local rule 83-2.11. The Court reminds counsel to review ALL local rules before e-filing in corrected documents. (lc) Modified on 9/19/2022 (lc),” Court filings.

Abbas had written personally to presiding judge Otis D. Wright and asserted that he only made $300,000 from his involvement in the crimes he has been tried for.

In the handwritten letter, Mr Abbas noted his humble beginnings as a salesman, apologised to the federal judge for his crimes, and declared that he would use his personal funds to pay the victims.

“Your honour, I totally recognise the seriousness of my offence, and no amount of sorry can write my wrong in the hearts of the victims, and this is why I have decided to use my personal money to offset all of the entire $1,700,000 restitution even though I only benefited a fraction of $300,000,” Abbas wrote.

Lead prosecutor Khaldoun Shobaki argued that Abbas should also be compelled to pay $1.7 million in restitution, $500,000 in fines and $100 in administrative fees.

Louis Shapiro, the lawyer to Abbas, admonished the prosecutors in a filing made on Sunday for deploying heartless and underhand tactics in their quest to land his client in prison, further arguing that the Nigerian was poorly treated by the prosecutors and describes the U.S government’s sentencing request as ‘unreasonable.’

Counsel to the convicted fraudster argued that the United States is ‘trying to sensationalize Abbas into something that he is not.’

It would be recalled that Judge Wright had, last Thursday, rejected Abbas’ plea for a continuance, but counsel Shapiro said the prosecutors were trying to persuade the judge into sentencing their client even though some issues were outstanding.

Abbas will now be sentenced on November 3, 2022, based on the court’s own motion, after considering Mr Abbas’ desperate push from last week for a delay.

Abbas has been in custody since his arrest in Dubai and transfer to the United States in June 2020. In July 2021, Abbas pleaded guilty to multi-million dollar fraud charges as part of a plea bargain he entered with the U.S. authorities.

It would be recalled that the United States Attorney’s Office for Central District of California, in Los Angeles, had initially stated that the September 19 date slated for the sentencing of convicted internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, remains unchanged.

The court’s Director of Media Relations, Thom Mrozek, made this known in August.

Mrozek said the suspect had long pleaded guilty last year and would be sentenced later this year.

“Mr. Abbas is currently scheduled to be sentenced by a federal judge in Los Angeles on September 21,” he said.

Hushpuppi, 39, was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in June 2020 alongside 12 others over allegations bordering on hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, identity theft. He was extradited to the United States for prosecution.

The fraudster is alleged to have defrauded 1.9 million victims to the tune of N168 billion.

He pleaded guilty to the charges in July 2021 and was ordered to remain in custody pending sentencing.

According to court documents, “he risks 20 years’ imprisonment, a 3-year period of supervised release, a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offence”