Popular suspected internet Fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hush Puppi, has been indicted in another fresh criminal case involving a sum of over $400,000.
Hushpuppi is currently being held in the United States for financial offences bordering on wire fraud to which he has pleaded guilty and likely to face a 20-year jail term if convicted.
Hushpuppi received the fresh charges as US prosecutors submitted court documents showing that he committed the fraud and laundered the said amount while in prison.
Presented before the United States District Court of California on Wed 16th March 2022, the documents revealed that Hushpuppi participated in the purchase and laundering of Economic Impact Payment debit cards fraudulently obtained from stolen data of U.S citizens and residents.
A part of the document reads;
“4. RAMON OLORUNWA ABBAS is a Nigerian national previously living in the United Arab Emirates (the “UAE”) but currently incarcerated in the US Federal correctional facility, Central District of California, on charges of money laundering. The FBI’s investigation has revealed that ABBAS, while in a US Federal correctional facility, participated in the purchase of Economic Impact Payment debit cards fraudulently obtained from compromised data of US citizens.
“5. Economic Impact Payments commonly referred to as “stimulus checks” or “recovery rebates”- are a key provision of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act legislation that Congress passed to help reduce the financial burden on citizens and residents across the United States. Economic Impact Payments are non-taxable income that does not need to be paid back: Economic Impact Payments debit cards are a means of disbursement of payments. Economic Impact Payments debit cards, commonly called EIP cards, are issued on the VISA network by Meta Bank, South Dakota, US.
“6. This affidavit presents new information involving ABBAS which supports Affidavit I of Case No 2:20-mj-02992. Recorded internet activities (reviewed pursuant to a federal search warrant issued in this District) of ABBAS in the US Federal correctional facility, Central District of California, reflect that ABBAS purchased Economic Impact Payments debit cards and laundered the proceeds totaling over $400,000”.
It was found that Hushpuppi was actively buying EIP debit cards from an underground criminal place and and laundered the money through one AJ.
