Nigerian suspected internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas aka Ray Hushpuppi has confessed to bribing the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Nigeria, Abba Kyari, following the conclusion of a $1.1 million scam deal.
KanyiDaily had reported how Hushpuppi was arrested in the United Arab Emirate, Dubai on June 10, 2020, alongside 11 of his associates over allegations bordering on hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, and identity theft.
The fraudster was subsequently extradited to the US after the UAE police detailed his arrest in a special operation dubbed ‘Fox Hunt 2’ where he was accused of defrauding over 1.9 million victims to the tune of $435.6 million (N168 billion).
On July 4, 2020, Hushpuppi was charged with the conspiracy to commit money laundering before a US court, an offense that attracts a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment if convicted.
The fraudster is now exploring a plea bargain agreement with the U.S. government after he agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to engage in money laundering in the multi-million-dollar fraud charges filed against him by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California (USAO).
How Hushpuppi Bribed DCP Abba Kyari
In a court document released on Wednesday, Hushpuppi confessed to bribing Abba Kyari to have one of his rivals, Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, arrested and jailed in Nigeria following a dispute over the $1.1 million fraud that victimized a businessman in Qatar.
According to the indictment, Hushpuppi allegedly conspired with five others – including Vincent – to defraud the Qatari businessman by claiming to be consultants and bankers who could facilitate a loan to finance the construction of a school.
Following the deal, Hushpuppi asked Kyari to arrest and jail Vincent after both were locked in a dispute presumably over how to share the proceeds from the fraud.
This was after Vincent contacted the Qatari businessman and informed him that he was being scammed by a fraud syndicate involving him and Hushpuppi.
Kyari was said to have sent pictures of Vincent in jail and subsequently sent his bank account number to Hushpuppi to which a wire transfer was sent to him by the fraudster (Hushpuppi).
“Court documents outline a dispute among members of the conspiracy, which allegedly prompted Vincent to contact the victim and claim that Abbas and Juma were engaged in fraud. After this contact, Abbas allegedly arranged to have Vincent jailed in Nigeria by Abba Alhaji Kyari, 46, of Nigeria.
“According to the affidavit, Kyari is a highly decorated deputy commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force who is alleged to have arranged for Vincent to be arrested and jailed at Abbas’ behest, and then sent Abbas photographs of Vincent after his arrest. Kyari also allegedly sent Abbas bank account details for an account into which Abbas could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment,” U.S. Justice department said in a statement.
Efforts to reach Abba Kyari for comments proved abortive as his line was switched off. He had not also responded to a text message sent to his line as of the time of filing this report.
This comes after Hushpuppi agreed to plead guilty to “Conspiracy to Engage in Money Laundering,” an offense that attracts a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment if convicted.