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Nigerian influencer Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, has pleaded guilty to money laundering in a US court.
Hushpuppi, 37, is known for posting photos of his lavish lifestyle on Instagram, where he has 2.5 million followers.
Court documents filed in California indicate that Hushpuppi’s crimes cost victims nearly $ 24 million (£ 17 million) in total.
In a ploy, Hushpuppi attempted to steal more than $ 1.1 million from someone who wanted to fund a new children’s school in Qatar, according to the documents.
Unsealed court records this week show he pleaded guilty to the charge on April 20.
The documents indicate that between January 18, 2019 and June 9, 2020, Hushpuppi and others targeted multiple victims and laundered illicit funds in banks around the world.
They add that he could incur up to 20 years in prison and that he will have to “fully reimburse the victim (s)”.
Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai, where he resided, in June 2020.
In a statement, acting United States attorney Tracy Wilkinson said Hushpuppi and others had tampered with the school’s funding “by playing the role of bank officials and creating a bogus website” .
They also “bribed a foreign official to maintain the elaborate pretext after the victim was notified.”
Hushpuppi, who she said “played a significant role” in the scam, “funded her luxurious lifestyle by laundering illicit proceeds generated by con artists.”
Kristi Johnson, acting director of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, said Hushpuppi was one of the “world’s most prominent money launderers.”
Her “celebrity status and ability to make connections has seeped into legitimate organizations and led to several spin-off projects in the United States and abroad,” she said.
His guilty plea was “a crucial blow to this international network”.
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