About-to-be-sentenced internet fraudster Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abbas has tendered his apologies and appreciation to presiding Judge Otis D. Wright and the U.S. justice system for “upholding the law against criminals like myself.”
Mr Abbas apologised for his actions, lauding the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the thorough investigation that saw his arrest in Dubai and prosecution in the U.S.
In a handwritten letter addressed to Mr Wright and filed on Friday at the United States District for the Central District of California, Mr Abbas took full responsibility for his crimes and apologised to both victims and law enforcement.
Mr Abbas wrote the letter ahead of his sentencing, looking to curry a more lenient judgement.
“I will like to specially apologise to the victims in the cases I’m involved with from count one to five…,” Mr Abbas wrote. “I apologise to the law enforcement agents who have worked tirelessly to make the world a safer place and to the U.S. Attorney’s entire office for the great work of upholding the law against criminals like myself.”
In the four-part letter, obtained by Peoples Gazette, Mr Abbas recalled joining Instagram in 2012 to share his style online and noted the expansion of his business into “luxury fashion, real estate, automobile sales and entertainment deals.”
In July 2021, Mr Abbas entered a plea bargain with the U.S. authorities, and admitted to multimillion-dollar fraud charges. Intelligence agencies recorded multiple crimes, including money laundering, cyber fraud, hacking, criminal impersonating, scamming individuals, banking fraud and identity theft committed outside the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Abbas has been in custody since his arrest in Dubai and transfer to the United States in June 2020. In the letter, Mr Abbas claimed he made only $300,000 from his crime involvement
Mr Abbas apologised to the federal judge for his crimes, saying he would use his personal funds to pay the victims.
Peoples Gazette
