A United States of America court situated in Illinois has given five cogent reasons why Nigerian Instagram celebrity Raymond Igbalode Abbas better known as Hushipuppi facing wire fraud charges was not granted bail.


Hushipuppi alongside with his gang were arrested in Dubai last Month, for money laundering and other related Cybercrime offenses, he was however extradited to the U.S on July 3, 2020.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) had earlier alleged that 'Hushipuppi' was part of a network that made “hundreds of millions of dollars” from business email compromise frauds and other scams.

Also the United States Government alleged that 'Hushipuppi' was funding his extravagant lifestyle on social media with stolen money.

The 37-year-old was first held in a court at Chicago before his case was transported to Los Angeles by the U.S. Marshals Service, a court in the Northern District of Illinois ruledof California for prosecution.


According to Premiumtimes report, Hushipuppi was denied the opportunity to stay with his girlfriend’s uncle in Homewood, Illinois.

However, his trials will continue in Los Angeles where the case was first filed and not from Chicago where the investigation is being handled.


“The court agreed with the recommendation of Pretrial Services that Mr Abbas presents a risk of non-appearance and that he should be removed to the charging district in California in custody.”

“The court agrees with the recommendation of Pretrial Services that Mr Abbas presents a serious risk of nonappearance and that he should be removed to the charging district in California in custody. In addition, the Court finds Abbas presents a serious risk of flight to avoid this prosecution with the meaning of 18 USC 3142(f)(2). The Court stated the reasons for its ruling on the record during the removal hearing held on July 13, 2020. The additional notes contained in this Order are consistent with the reasons stated on the record and are intended to supplement rather than supplant those statements.

“Although the defence proffers that Abbas is loved and respected in Dubai as a celebrity and, therefore, he would stay in the United States to fight these charges and clear his name, the inference the Court takes from Abbas’s status in Dubai is that he has every incentive to return there as soon as possible regardless of the pendency of criminal charges in the United States.

“There is no good reason for Abbas to stay in this country while these charges are pending. Abbas told Pretrial Services he has lived in Nigeria most of his life and he still has family there with whom he maintains frequent contact. During just the last few years, Abbas also says he has lived in or visited Malaysia, Dubai, and Paris, and the government proffers that Abbas recently obtained passports from St. Kits and Nevis…

“For these reasons, and those stated on the record, Abbas shall be removed to the charging district in the custody of the US Marshal.

“The defendant is remanded to the custody of the Attorney General or to the Attorney General’s representative for confinement in a corrections facility separate, to the extent practicable, from persons awaiting or serving sentences or being held in custody pending appeal. The defendant must be afforded a reasonable opportunity for private consultation with defence counsel. On order of a court of the United States or on request of an attorney for the Government, the person in charge of the corrections facility must deliver the defendant to a United States Marshal for the purpose of an appearance in connection with a court proceeding.”

If found guilty Mr. Abbas might bags twenty years jail terms in the United States prison.


Sources: https://insidenaija.com.ng/2020/07/24/us-give-reasons-for-denying-hushipuppi-bail/