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Nigerian internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi, has appealed to a United States court to be kept in the country beyond his prison term.
Abba Kyari's death squad: Hushpuppi's appeal comes as he accused embattled police officer, Abba Kyari, of operating a death squad in Nigeria.
The 'social media celebrity' feared that he might become the target of the alleged death squad if he returned to the country.
This was contained in the memorandum submitted by Hushpuppi's attorney, Louis Shapiro, to a U.S judge, Judge Otis Wright.
Hushpuppi pleads for mercy: Shapiro also begged the judge to temper justice with mercy and hand his client a shorter jail term claiming he had turned a new lease on life in prison.
It was gathered that the internet fraudster's report card for the Central Valley workshop for prisoners showed between July 2021 and November 2021 that Hushpuppi put up a moral attitude, quality of work, dependability and productivity.
The lawyer noted that, “he is currently working within his prison cleaning windows and showers for which he has received great personal evaluations.”
Lesser punishment: Ahead of the resumption of his trial later in September, there are strong indications that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) had instructed prosecutors to reduce the fraudster's sentence to 11 years and 3 years of supervised release for his parole in a multinational crime that earned him millions of dollars between 2019 and 2020.
The attorney wrote: “Once this case is resolved and Mr Abbas is released, he will not be able to return to Nigeria. Abubakar Kyari, a Nigerian politician and police officer operates a death squad. He was indicted in the Juma case by the government’s investigation into this case.
“Mr Abbas hopes to move his family out of Nigeria when he gets out of prison. The looming threat of Mr Kiyari’s supporters, as well as intense media harassment, has forced his family to continue moving to secret locations within Nigeria.”
Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai in June 2020 and was later transferred to the U.S for further prosecution.
The presiding judge, Wright, has been scheduled to hear the sentencing debates of the trial and defence of the fraudster on September 21 before giving his final judgment.