Crime
UPDATE: Hushpuppi denied bail, to remain in prison
Suspected Nigerian fraudster and Instagram celebrity, Hushpuppi has been denied bail in the United States where he was extradited to on charges of cyber fraud.
Ramon Abbas bail application failed in spite of his lawyer, Gal Pissetzky insisting that his job as an Instagram celebrity paid for the $10,000 monthly rent on his luxury Dubai flat.
His lawyer, Gal Pissetzky, had applied for bail and requested that he is given an ankle monitor while he lives with the uncle of a woman he has a baby with, but US prosecutors opposed the bail application.
US prosecutors said that he poses a flight risk and could commit a crime with just a smartphone and an internet connection.
On reaction, Pissetzky stated that Hushpuppi has much to lose if he flees after bail, he told a judge in Chicago by videolink;
“He is loved and respected. He is a celebrity.
“I don’t see the reason why he would want to ruin his credibility in the world and his status rather than stay here and face this allegation.
“Anywhere he goes, people will know. Having grown up very poor in Nigeria, Mr Abbas is now paid to pose with high-priced items such as Louis Vuitton bags that people would buy after seeing his posts on Instagram.
“He is an influencer. That’s a job today, as much as it is hard to imagine. That’s a full-time job.”
Judge Jeffrey Gilbert who watched the proceedings from a prison video link, denied Hushpuppi bail on grounds of him being a flight risk. Gilbert ordered that the suspected Nigerian fraudster be remanded in custody until he is taken to a court in California.
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