Nigerians on Thursday, got the shock of their lives when their very own celebrity crack detective, Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, got entangled in a fraudulent $1 million scheme involving disgraced internet scammer, Ramon Abbas, a.k.a. Hushpuppi.
From available court documents, The Street Journal understands that Hushpuppi had connived with five other persons to defraud a Qataris school owner of $1 million.
They posed as bank consultants from Wells Fargo and deceived the victim, saying they could help him obtain a loan to embark on a school construction project.
It wasn’t too long that trouble broke out among the six of them and Abba Kyari got entangled when Hushpuppi paid him a huge sum of money to arrest one of the fraudsters.
According to the documents, Kyari also allegedly sent Hushpuppi bank account details into which Hushpuppi could deposit payment for the arrest.
How it all started
Hushpuppi and his team swindled the Qataris businessman who was looking for a loan to construct a school for children in Qatar, and they subsequently laundered the illicit proceeds through bank accounts around the world.
“The three-count indictment returned on April 29 and unsealed on Monday, charges three U.S.-based defendants who were arrested last week – as well as three defendants believed to be in Africa – with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.
“The criminal complaint that initiated the prosecution in February was also unsealed Monday, revealing that Ramon Olorunwa Abbas – also known by his social media handle of “Ray Hushpuppi” – was initially charged in this case.”
The Street Journal had reported that Hushpuppi pleaded guilty and according to the documents, a version of his plea agreement filed late Tuesday outlines his role in the school-finance scheme, as well as several other cyber and business email compromise schemes that cumulatively caused more than $24 million in losses.
“The defendants allegedly faked the financing of a Qatari school by playing the roles of bank officials and creating a bogus website in a scheme that also bribed a foreign official to keep the elaborate pretense going after the victim was tipped off,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison.
Hushpuppi allegedly conspired with Abdulrahman Imraan Juma, a.k.a. “Abdul,” 28, of Kenya, and a Nigerian, Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, 40, to defraud the Qatari businessperson by claiming to be consultants and bankers who could facilitate a loan to finance the construction of the planned school.
Juma allegedly posed as a facilitator and consultant for the illusory bank loans, while Hushpuppi played the role of “Malik,” a Wells Fargo banker in New York, according to court documents.
Vincent, in turn, allegedly provided support for the false narratives fed to the victim by, among other things, creating bogus documents and arranging for the creation of a fake bank website and phone banking line.
Yusuf Adekinka Anifowoshe, a.k.a. “AJ,” 26, of Brooklyn, New York, allegedly played a role in the fraud, assisting Hushpuppi with a call to the victim posing as “Malik.”
How the money was spent
On how the proceeds were spent, the indictment said, “Aproximately $230,000 of the stolen funds were allegedly used to purchase a Richard Mille RM11-03 watch, which was hand-delivered to Hushpuppi in Dubai and subsequently appeared in Hushpuppi’s social media posts.
“Other illicit proceeds from the scheme were allegedly converted into cashier’s checks, including $50,000 in checks that were used by Hushpuppi and a co-conspirator to fraudulently acquire a St. Christopher and Nevis citizenship, as well as a passport for Hushpuppi obtained by creating a false marriage certificate and then bribing a government official in St. Kitts.”
How trouble broke out
The court documents stated that trouble broke out between Hushpuppi and his gang and this prompted Vincent to contact the Qataris victim to inform him that Hushpuppi and Juma were fraudulent.
After this, Hushpuppi allegedly arranged to have Vincent jailed in Nigeria by paying Abba Kyari a large sum of money.
The affidavit describes Kyari as “a highly decorated deputy commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force who is alleged to have arranged for Vincent to be arrested and jailed at Hushpuppi’s behest and then sent Hushpuppi photographs of Vincent after his arrest.”
Kyari also allegedly sent Hushpuppi bank account details for an account into which Hushpuppi could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.
As of the time of filing this report, the FBI is still conducting more investigations. While suspects that are America-based have all been arrested, there are reports that arrest warrants have been issued for those in Africa, including Abba Kyari.