A notorious Nigerian Instagram influencer has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison in the United States for his role in an international fraud syndicate.
Hushpuppi, real name Ramon Abbas, flaunted his affluent lifestyle on his Facebook page, which had 2.8 million followers before being disabled.
In addition, the judge in Los Angeles ordered him to pay $1,732,841 (£1,516,182) in restitution to two victims of fraud.
Abbas will serve his 135-month sentence in a federal prison.
He pleaded guilty to money laundering last year.
According to court documents in California, Abbas admitted to attempting to steal more than $1.1 million from someone who wanted to fund a new children's school in Qatar.
According to a statement on the US Justice Department's website, the fraudster tricked his victim into providing funds for the school "by playing the roles of bank officials and creating a bogus website." According to the US Justice Department, other suspects were also involved, with Abbas playing a key role.
According to the US Justice Department, Abbas also admitted to "several other cyber and business email compromise schemes that resulted in more than $24 million in losses."
"Ramon Abbas... targeted both American and international victims, becoming one of the world's most prolific money launderers," Don Alway, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said in a court document on Monday.
"Abbas used his social media platforms... to gain notoriety and brag about the enormous wealth he amassed through business email compromise scams, online bank heists, and other cyber-enabled fraud that financially ruined scores of victims and aided the North Korean regime."
"This significant sentence is the result of years of collaboration among law enforcement in multiple countries and should serve as a clear warning to international fraudsters that the FBI will seek justice for victims whether criminals operate within or outside US borders."
In a handwritten note to Judge Otis D Wright, Abbas apologized for his crimes and promised to repay his victims with personal funds. He also claimed to have only made $300,000 from the crime for which he was being tried.
Abbas' opulent lifestyle came to an abrupt end in 2020, when he was arrested in Dubai.
His Instagram, which featured expensive cars and designer clothing, was a far cry from his humble beginnings.
Those who knew Abbas as a child will recall that his father was a taxi driver and his mother was a market trader, but as he grew older, he developed a penchant for blowing money. "He was very kind. He used to buy beer for everyone in the neighborhood "Seye, a local driver, stated.
According to Seye, he began his fraudulent lifestyle as a "Yahoo boy," a term used in Nigeria to describe men who commit romance fraud by stealing other people's identities online and defrauding their unwitting lovers.
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