Ray Hushpuppi makes his first Appearance in Court in the US.
A day after the Dubai police Head Quarters handed over Ramon Abbas Olurunwa and Jacob Ponle to the United States FBI, Abbas has been arraigned in a Federal High Court, Los Angeles to face the charges brought against him and his team.
According to a statement released by the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California. “A 37 years old, Dubai resident Ramon Abbas Olurunwa also known as Ray Hushpuppi or Hush, who was flaunting his extravagant lifestyle on social media has arrived the United States to face criminal charges alleging conspirency to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams. Investigations also exposed his plots targeting an English Premier League soccer club, a U.S. law firm, and a foreign bank.”
Related:Hushpuppi and Woodberry meets US FBI
The statement also revealed that he arrived the United States on thursday the 2nd of July and made his first court appearance in Chicago on the 3rd of July, 2020 and expected to be sent to Los Angeles next week.
Recall that Ray Hushpuppi was arrested by the UAE law enforcement officials on a special mission tagged “The Fox Hunt 2” last month with some of his partners. An FBI special agents earlier last week obtained his custody and brought him to the United States to face the charges of conspiracy to launder money, yet to be proven but contained in a criminal complaint filed against him on the 25th of June by some Los Angeles federal prosecutors.
The statement also contains contents of an affidavit filed with the complaints. Some highlights of the affidavit includes; “Mr Ramon maintains a social media accounts that frequently showed him in designer clothes, wearing expensive watches, and posing in or with luxurious cars and chartered jets. The FBI’s investigation has also revealed that he finances his luxurious lifestyle through crime, and that he is one of the leaders of a trans-National network that facilitates computer intrusions, fraudulent plots (including BEC schemes), and money laundering, targeting victims around the world in schemes outlined to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from his victims,” according to the affidavit.
Download and read the full case file and Affidavit Here.
However, it was gathered that Ray Hushpuppi and his partners also conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars using other dishonest plots and computer intrusions, such as the plot to steal £100 million (approximately $124 million) from an English Premier League soccer club, the complaint claimed.
As we all know, a criminal complaint contains claims that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubts.
Mr Ramon will face a statutory 20 years maximum sentence in a Federal prison if found guilty of the alleged crimes.
He’s investigaton was led by the FBI, However they got high level of assistance from the United States Secret Service. The FBI has also extended their utmost gratitude to the government of the United Arab Emirates and the Dubai Police Department for their assistance in cracking this case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Anil J. Antony and Joseph B. Woodring of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are the prosecutors of this case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs has also provided substantial assistance on this matter.
What do you think about this case? Do you wish he pay for his crimes or he should be pardoned and the government can take the blame. Share your thoughts with us on the comment section.
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