Prosecutors in the United States have asked a federal judge to sentence Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas to 11 years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a multinational conspiracy that earned him millions of dollars between 2019 and 2020.
According to Peoples Gazette, American attorneys led by Khaldoun Shobaki in the U.S. Central District of California (Los Angeles) argued that Hushpuppi should also be asked to pay $1.7 million in restitution; $500K in fines and $100 in administrative fees, per recommendations submitted ahead of his sentencing on September 21.
The development came more than two years after the infamous Internet fr@ud ringleader was arrested in Dubai in June 2020 for driving multiple schemes that targeted victims in Europe and the United States. He pleaded guilty in April 2021 after prosecutors discovered his involvement in a separate conspiracy to defraud a Qatari businessperson, who lost $810K in the process of trying to obtain an elusive loan to set up an international school.
The prosecutors argued that their sentencing recommendations were appropriate considering the gravity of Hushpuppi’s crimes. The government said one of his co-conspirators Ghaleb Alaumary was sentenced to 140 years in jail for violating the same set of criminal codes.
“By his own admission, during just an 18-month period defendant conspired to launder over $300 million,” the prosecutors said. The government said Mr Abbas’ criminal path was premeditated, even though he had a clear chance to choose a rewarding career as a law-abiding citizen.
Mr Abbas’ sentencing, the government argued, was reduced because he cooperated with detectives on criminal cases under investigation and prosecution in American courts.
