Super cop and head of IGP Intelligence Response Team, DCP, Abba Kyari, has been indicted by the United States Department of Justice for conspiracy with some other persons including embattled Ramon Abbas aka Ray Hushpuppi to commit wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343
According to Andrew John Innocenti, a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, assigned to the Los Angeles Field Office, High-Tech Organized Crime Squad, where he primarily investigates cyber-enabled fraud and business email compromise schemes, he listed out the criminal complaint against the subjects of his investigation and arrest warrants for them.
In a 69 page document sighted by The Street Journal, Hushpuppi aka “Ray Hushpuppi,” aka “Hush,” aka “Malik,” who is in a US jail and awaiting trial, alongside his conspirators namely Abdulrahman Imraan Juma Abdul, aka “Rahman (“JUMA”), of Kenya; Vincent Kelly Chibuzo aka “Kelly” (“CHIBUZO”), of Nigeria; Abba Alhaji Kyari; Rukayat Motunraya Fashola aka “Morayo,” and Bolatitio Tawakalitu Agbabiaka aka “Bolamide,” all fraudulently obtained to launder at least $1,124,426.36 from a victim.
According to the document, all six of the aforementioned ABBAS, JUMA, CHIBUZO, KYARI, FASHOLA, and AGBABIAKA participated in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain and launder money obtained from the Victim Businessperson, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349 (Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud) and 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h) (Conspiracy to Engage in Money Laundering):
The document also states the role each of the subjects played in committing this fraud.
ABBAS directly interacted with the Victim Businessperson, falsely claiming to be a Wells Fargo banker named “Malik.” ABBAS also orchestrated the receipt and laundering of funds from the Victim Businessperson to and through bank accounts in the United States, as well as the creation and use of the Canoga Park Wells Fargo Account. ABBAS ultimately received the proceeds of the fraud scheme in a variety of ways, including as cash into the Nigerian bank
account of another person, purchase of a luxury Richard Mille watch, and purchase of St. Kitts citizenship and a passport.
After the Victim Businessperson began to suspect that JUMA had defrauded him/her, ABBAS purported to work with the Victim Businessperson to report JUMA’s fraudulent conduct to the FBI, but, in reality, defrauded the Victim Businessperson out of additional funds, which ABBAS then laundered.
JUMA worked closely with ABBAS to defraud the Victim Businessperson, interacting directly with the Victim Businessperson and directing the Victim Businessperson to make payments to bank accounts in the United States
and Kenya. In particular, JUMA received initial payments from the Victim Businessperson and then involved ABBAS in the fraud scheme. JUMA received Case 2:21-cr-00203-ODW Document 1 Filed 02/12/21 Page 67 of 69 Page ID #:67
65 and laundered the money that the Victim Businessperson sent to the Okatch bank account in Kenya.
CHIBUZO interacted directly with ABBAS, as he worked with ABBAS and JUMA to create various artifices—including a fraudulent website and “phone banking” system—that would induce the Victim Businessperson to make additional payments to the coconspirators. CHIBUZO was to be compensated by ABBAS for his involvement in the scheme. At one point, CHIBUZO felt that he was not being paid enough or in a timely manner, and contacted the Victim Businessperson directly, saying that ABBAS and JUMA had scammed the Victim Businessperson, in an attempt to get the Victim Businessperson to make future fraudulent payments to CHIBUZO and not to ABBAS and JUMA.
KYARI, a Deputy Commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force, arranged the arrest of CHIBUZO at the request of ABBAS to prevent CHIBUZO from interfering in the scheme defrauding the Victim Businessperson. KYARI had CHIBUZO held in custody for a month and also facilitated payments from ABBAS to the Nigeria Police Force personnel who arrested CHIBUZO, in order to ensure CHIBUZO’s continued arrest, thereby preventing CHIBUZO from notifying the Victim Businessperson of ABBAS’ and JUMA’s fraudulent scheme and preventing CHIBUZO from hijacking the scheme for his own benefit. KYARI’s knowing involvement in the scheme allowed ABBAS and JUMA to continue defrauding the Victim Businessperson undetected and receive money obtained from the Victim Businessperson after it was laundered.
FASHOLA and AGBABIAKA knowingly assisted ABBAS in receiving money from the Victim Businessperson into bank accounts in the United States and then laundering the funds received in a variety of ways, including Case 2:21-cr-00203-ODW Document 1 Filed 02/12/21 Page 68 of 69 Page ID #:6866 through cash withdrawals, wire transfers, use of illicit money exchangers, and purchases of items and other things of value
Meanwhile, Hushpuppi in a plea agreement document on Wednesday, pleaded guilty to all charges. The document was signed by Hushpuppi; his lawyer, Loius Shapiro; and Acting United States Attorney, Tracy Wilkison, among others. It stated that Hushpuppi risks “20 years’ imprisonment; a three-year period of supervised release; a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offence.”
The document, however, did not mention the date of the plea hearing.
On the part of Abba Kyari, a warrant of arrest has been issued against by Otis Wright, a judge in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, on July 26. The court ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down Kyari and produce him in the United States to face trial for his roles in the fraud.