Hushpuppi: Trial Judge May Give Suspected Fraudster Favorable Ruling, As Major Facts Unfold

Hushpuppi: Trial Judge May Give Suspected Fraudster Favorable Ruling, As Major Facts Unfold

  • The legal team of Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, is seeking a delay in the judgment of the accused
  • Defence attorney Louis Shapiro said the stipulated time of judgment does not afford him enough time to prepare
  • It was gathered that call for the delay is a deliberate attempt to buy time and strategise a defence before the court to lessen Hushpuppi's sentence

The ongoing trial of Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi may be delayed for a few more months following a request by his defence attorney, Louis Shapiro.

PM News reported that Hushpuppi’s trial has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 21 but his legal team is pushing for a later date, November 3.

Hushpuppi, FBI
Hushpuppi and his legal team are currently seeking a delay in his judgment in order to buy time to reduce his sentence. Photo: UGC
Source: Instagram

Mr. Shapiro said he needs more time to prepare for his client’s sentencing case and get all documents intact for the Juma case.

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Legit.ng gathered that Mr. Shapiro’s prayer for an extended date is geared toward getting his embattled client a shorter sentence and challenging three-point role augmentation.

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Mr. Shapiro said:

“On September 7, 2022, the government filed its position paper stating- that it agrees with the PSR’s request for a 3-point role enhancement per 3B1.1(b) as related to conducting in a separate case – USA v. Juma 2:21-cr-00203-RGK.
“Defendant would not be prepared to go to sentencing on September 19, 2022, or September 21, 2022, without the information in the possession of the government that Mr Abbas requires to address the 3-point enhancement in the Juma case.
“Because the government is taking this position, Mr Abbas is requesting the court to grant a brief continuance to November 3, 2022, and to order the government to produce all the discoveries in the Juma case."

It was gathered that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the legal team of the accused reached a truce for some charges to be dropped against Huspuppi in the ongoing Juma case.

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Hushpuppi and the Juma case

Prior to this arrangement, the accused was said to have defrauded a Qatari business owner earlier in 2019.

The victim is said to be a Kenyan, Abdulrahman Imraan Juma and a host of others.

It was gathered that they had obtained bank accounts with a United States-based financial institution, Wells Fargo Bank located in Canoga Park, California in which Hushpuppi falsely presented himself as a staff of the financial institution.

It was later gathered that Hushpuppi and his cohorts ripped the victim of $330,000 in a bid to falsely facilitate a $15 million loan.

The investigation also linked Nigeria's embattled police officer, DCP Abba Kyari, as one of the accomplices in the $1.1 million scheme linked to the Juma case.

Contrastingly, the prosecuting counsel countered the prayers of Huspuppi's counsel.

They said:

“There is no good cause to grant the Motion, or to further delay the already long-delayed sentencing in this case.”

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Hushpuppi begs for light sentence

Prior to the latest development, Hushpuppi has stirred reactions from many in the online community.

According to reports, the embattled socialite who is expected to be sentenced in a couple of weeks has pleaded for a light jail term.

Hushpuppi’s record sighted by People’s Gazette equally shows that the internet fraudster has maintained good behaviours.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Segun Adeyemi avatar

Segun Adeyemi (Current Affairs and Politics Editor) Segun Adeyemi is a journalist with over 9 years of experience as an active field reporter, editor, and editorial manager. He has had stints with Daily Trust newspaper, Daily Nigerian, and News Digest. He currently works as an editor for Legit.ng's current affairs and politics desk. He holds a degree in Mass Communication (Adekunle Ajasin University). He is a certified digital reporter by Reuters, AFP and the co-convener of the annual campus journalism awards. Email: segun.adeyemi@corp.legit.ng.