What began as flashy Instagram posts flaunting luxury cars, designer brands, and private jets ended in a sobering prison sentence for Nigerian influencer Ramon Abbas—better known to his millions of online followers as “Hushpuppi.”
Abbas, 40, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison in 2022 after pleading guilty to charges of money laundering tied to a sprawling international fraud operation. As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to pay $1.73 million in restitution to two of his many victims.
Behind the glittering facade of Versace shirts, Rolls-Royce rides, and penthouse suites at the exclusive Palazzo Versace in Dubai, Abbas operated what U.S. authorities have described as one of the most prolific business email compromise (BEC) and online bank fraud schemes in history.
A Criminal Empire Built on Deception
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Abbas and his crew masterminded scams that defrauded individuals, law firms, and businesses around the world. Court documents revealed that Abbas was instrumental in various schemes causing more than $24 million in total losses, including a shocking attempt to steal $1.1 million meant to fund a children’s school in Qatar.
His criminal exploits also extended to aiding North Korean hackers in a $13 million cyber-heist from Malta’s Bank of Valletta in 2019, plunging the European island’s payment systems into chaos.
Assistant Director Don Alway of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office said Abbas “leveraged his social media platforms…to gain notoriety and to brag about the immense wealth he acquired by conducting scams that financially ruined scores of victims.”
A Fatal Mistake in Dubai
Although Abbas had initially built his scam operations in Nigeria and later expanded them after relocating to Malaysia, it was his extravagant lifestyle in Dubai that led to his downfall.
Operating under the online persona “Quiet Dog,” Abbas maintained an Instagram following of 2.8 million. However, a seemingly innocent birthday cake photo—featuring him next to piles of Fendi shopping bags—helped investigators link him to an old visa application.
Armed with this critical piece of evidence, the FBI collaborated with Dubai authorities to conduct a dramatic raid on Abbas’ luxury penthouse, seizing $40 million in cash, 13 luxury vehicles, 47 smartphones, and 21 laptops. Eleven members of his network were arrested during coordinated raids.
He was then extradited to the U.S. to face justice.
A Life of Contradictions
Supporters of Abbas claim he was a generous man who often helped widows, orphans, and contributed to community feeding programs. Several imams wrote letters to the court requesting leniency on his behalf. His wife also pleaded for understanding, noting that his arrest left her financially struggling to maintain their child’s private education.
In a handwritten apology to U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright, Abbas expressed deep remorse and vowed to repay his victims using his personal funds. He maintained that he personally earned only $300,000 from the crimes he was charged for, despite the massive scale of the operation he helped orchestrate.
Nonetheless, the court sentenced him to 135 months behind bars—marking a stark end to a meteoric and criminal rise built on deception, luxury, and digital fraud.
