US Court Set To Sentence Hushpuppi, Keeps Mum On Kyari’s Extradition

Hushpuppi – The United States Attorney’s Office for Central District of California, Los Angeles, says the September 21, 2022 sentence date for alleged international Internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, aka, Hushpuppi, remains unchanged.

iexclusivenews reports that the court’s Director of Media Relations, Thom Mrozek, made this known on Friday in response to an email inquiry by Channels Television.

This online news outlet understands that since Hushpuppi’s conviction last year for alleged $1.1m fraud. The court has moved his sentence date at least three times.

Hushpuppi was initially scheduled for sentencing on February 14 but it was moved to July 11 before it was again postponed for September 21 this year.

When asked when Hushpuppi, 39, would be sentenced, Mrozek said the suspect had long pled guilty last year and would be sentenced later this year.

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

Hushpuppi accepted a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to a variety of crimes filed against him by the court, including money laundering and wire fraud.

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”.

In June 2020, he was arrested in Dubai alongside 12 others and brought to the United States for prosecution.

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Kyari’s Extradition

iexclusivenews Nigeria reports that Mrozek, on the other hand, remained mum on the likely extradition of DCP Abba Kyari.

The suspended Head of Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team, who was indicted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Hushpuppi case.

Over a year ago, the court directed the FBI to arrest Kyari.

“I am unable to offer any comment on the state of Mr. Kyari,” the court official said.

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According to FBI Special Agent Andrew Innocenti, Hushpuppi hired Kyari after a “co-conspirator,” Chibuzo Vincent, reportedly threatened to disclose the suspected $1.1 million fraud against a Qatari client.

Innocenti also claimed to have received phone calls and WhatsApp communications between Kyari and Hushpuppi, and that the police officer was paid $20,600 for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.

Kyari initially denied the charges on Facebook in July 2021, but he later deleted the post.

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Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, stated that the US and Nigerian governments were reviewing Kyari’s issue and that reasonable grounds for suspicion had been established against Kyari.

“There are a lot of issues that are ongoing inclusive of the possibility of consideration for extradition. That is where the collaboration element of it comes into play,” the AGF had said on the possible extradition of Kyari.

Abba Kyari was later detained by the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency in February for alleged drug-related offenses, and the suspended deputy police commissioner has since been arraigned.

Kyari and his co-defendants are being held at the Kuje prison in Abuja and seek to be granted bail before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 30, 2022.