Hushpuppi's sentencing in the US delayed for five months at the request of his defence team

NIGERIAN-born Internet fraudster Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi has had his sentencing postponed for five months after the court in Los Angeles which found him guilty accepted a plea to delay sentencing from his legal team.

Last year, Hushpuppi was arrested and charged with fraud by the US Attorney’s Office at the Central District of California. He has since been found guilty and is awaiting sentencing but Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the Los Angeles high court said that the judge has agreed to postpone sentencing for five months.

He pointed out that the date which was initially scheduled for Valentine’s Day, has been moved to July 11. Court documents showed that Judge Otis Wright granted the order for postponement after Hushpuppi’s lawyers led by Louis Shapiro entered a request for postponement.

Mr Mrozek said: “The sentencing hearing that was scheduled for later this month has been delayed.  At the request of counsel, the sentencing is continued to July 11, 2022 at 11am, it is so ordered.”

In a plea agreement, Hushpuppi pleaded guilty to various offences bordering on Internet fraud and money laundering among others. Having pleaded guilty, Hushpuppi risks 20 year prison sentence at most, while he could also get a lenient three year supervised release, a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offence.

However, the court was mum on its initial order that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  arrests the head of the Nigeria Police Force's Intelligence Response Team Deputy Police Commissioner Abba Kyari. He is accused of being involved in a $1m scam perpetrated by Hushpuppi and five others.

Mr Mrozek declined comments on the warrant of arrest the court issued last year in which it ordered the FBI to apprehend Mr Kyari and other defendants in the case. Mr Kyari has been suspended for the last four months, while the Nigerian police authorities investigated his rile ion the affair but last month, he came out of hiding and attended the wedding of Maina, son of the inspector-general of police.