The United States Attorney’s Office at the Central District of California, has disclosed that Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, will be sentenced on February 14, 2022.
The court’s Director of Media Relations, Thom Mrozek, revealed Hushpuppi has been scheduled for sentencing on Valentine’s Day, according to reports.
In a plea agreement document, Hushpuppi pleaded guilty to various offences bordering on internet scam and money laundering, among others. The document was signed by Hushpuppi; his lawyer, Loius Shapiro; Acting United States Attorney, Tracy Wilkison, and some others. It stated that Hushpuppi 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”.
Earlier, the court ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to arrest the suspended Head of the Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari, for his alleged role in a $1.1million scam allegedly perpetrated by Hushpuppi and five others. However, in December 2021, Mrozek declined comments on the warrant of arrest the court had issued months earlier that the FBI should apprehend Kyari and other defendants in the case.
The Dubai Police in the United Arab Emirates in June 2020 arrested Hushpuppi and his gang. They were later extradited to the US for prosecution by the FBI.
The FBI Special Agent, Andrew Innocenti, then alleged that Hushpuppi contracted the services of Kyari after a “co-conspirator”, Chibuzo Vincent, allegedly threatened to expose the alleged $1.1million fraud committed against a Qatari businessman.
Innocenti, who said he obtained voice calls and WhatsApp conversations between Kyari and Hushpuppi, also alleged that Hushpuppi paid the police officer ₦8million for the arrest and detention of Vincent.
Kyari took to Facebook on July 29, 2021 to deny the allegations, but he later deleted the post after editing it about 12 times.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, then recommended the suspension of Kyari, which the Police Service Comission (PSC) carried out on July 31, 2021.
The police boss on August 2, 2021, constituted the Special Investigation Panel headed by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force’s Criminal Investigations Department, Joseph Egbunike, to probe the allegations.
Egbunike on August 26, 2021 submitted the panel’s report, which he said “is an outcome of a painstaking, transparent and exhaustive investigative process”. He revealed that the report contained the case file of the probe, evidence and findings as well as testimonies from Kyari and other persons and groups linked to the matter.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, on September 14, 2021, during an interview disclosed that the findings and recommendations on Kyari were submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for “legal opinion” and thereafter for presentation to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). He also noted that the final decision would be taken by the PSC.
However, months later, the PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, told local media that the commission has not received any disciplinary recommendations from the IG through the Force Disciplinary Committee almost four months after the Egbunike panel submitted its report to the police boss.
The recommendations of the Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC) will inform the commission’s decision and also determine Kyari’s future in the force, as the matter is now inconclusive.
Read also: Minority Chief Whip Vow To Resist Attempt By A Sitting Speaker To Vote On E-Levy
