The United States Attorney’s Office for Central District of California has debunked the reports that social media celebrity, Ramom Abbas also known as “Hushpuppi” has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
It was reported on Friday that Hushpuppi had been given an 11-year prison sentence in the United States.
According to the spokesperson of the agency, Thom Mrozek, the reports which claimed that the embattled Nigerian celebrity has been sentenced by a US Court is false.
Mrozek in a mail obtained by neusroom said, “Not true. Sentencing hearing won’t happen for three more days”.
Hushpuppi, a Nigerian national suspected of committing online fraud, was apprehended in Dubai, UAE, in June 2020 and extradited to the United States on July 3. Over 1.9 million people, mostly in the United States, fell victim to his scam, leading to his imprisonment.
The 37-year-old accused man entered a guilty plea.
In an earlier statement, acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkinson disclosed that Hushpuppi and his accomplice pretended to be bank officials and created a fake website in order to scam money out of donors for a fake school. Foreign officials, it was claimed, had been bribed by him to maintain the elaborate facade.
The sentence hearing was originally scheduled for October 20, 2022, but trial judge Otis Wright of the US Central District Court in California reset it for November 7, 2022.
“Counsels are notified, the sentencing is continued to November 7, 2022 at 11.30 am. as to Defendant Ramon Olorunwa Abbas,” the court announcement shifting the sentencing read.
