Hushpuppi pleads not guilty as court sets trial date

Arrested Nigerian Instagram celebrity Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi has been arraigned in a court in California, United States, ahead of his trial on October 13.

The detained fraud suspect pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering conspiracies, wire fraud, international money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

In June, the 37-year-old known for an extravagant lifestyle on social media was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, by special operatives of the Emirati police and American Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI’s investigation, according to the affidavit, alleged Hushpuppi financed this extravagant lifestyle through crime.

He is alleged to be the leader of a group that facilitates computer intrusion, business email compromise fraud, and money laundering.

His targeted victims, majorly in the United States, had been duped of hundreds of millions of dollars, the FBI says.