This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
On July 2nd, 2020, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, a 37-year-old Nigerian national, was extradited to the US to face charges related to a massive online scam.
Abbas, known as 'Hushpuppi' on Instagram, was arrested in Dubai after the FBI and Dubai police stormed his apartment and seized over $40 million in cash.
Abbas's lavish lifestyle, flaunted on his Instagram account with over 2.5 million followers, was used by detectives to track him down and gather evidence to charge him.
During the operation, 12 alleged Nigerian scammers living in Dubai were captured, and a large amount of evidence was recovered, including hard disks containing the addresses of nearly two million victims, 13 luxury cars worth $6.8 million, 21 computers, and 47 smartphones.
The scam involved hacking corporate emails and sending fake messages to clients to redirect financial transfers and steal bank details.
Abbas is being detained in Chicago and is represented by the Chicago-based law firm, Pissetzky & Berliner. His lawyer, Gal Pissetzky, described his client as an 'entrepreneur who ran a legitimate business and a very legitimate Instagram account and did not take part in any scam or fraud.'
Abbas faces up to 20 years in federal prison if found guilty of the online fraud-related charges.
