Hushpuppi conspired to defraud premier league club of $124 million, faces up to 20 years in prison

Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, was arrested earlier in June alongside Olalekan Jacob Ponle also known as Woodberry, and 10 others.

The US Department of Justice has said that Hushpuppi will face criminal charges, alleging that he and his cohorts conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from business email compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams, including schemes targeting a U.S. law firm, a foreign bank and an unnamed English Premier League soccer club.

“Abbas and others further conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from other fraudulent schemes and computer intrusions, including one scheme to steal £100 million (approximately $124 million) from an English Premier League soccer club, the complaint alleges,” the Department of Justice said in a statement on Friday, 3 July.

Hushpuppi and his cohorts were arrested by the Dubai Police who released a detailed video after the arrest showing how it was facilitated. 

The gang reportedly defrauded over 1.9 million people of over 169 billion Naira. Their arrest came after four months of intensive investigation during which the suspected fraudsters were tracked using their social media activities.

Hushpuppi and Woodberry have been extradited to the US to face money laundering charges. If convicted, Hushpuppi could face up to 20 years maximum sentence in prison.