Nigerian National Brought to U.S. to Face Charges of Conspiring to Launder Hundreds of Millions of Dollars from Cybercrime Schemes
LOS ANGELES – A Dubai resident who flaunted his extravagant
lifestyle on social media has arrived in the United States to
face criminal charges alleging he conspired to launder hundreds
of millions of dollars from business email compromise (BEC)
frauds and other scams, including schemes targeting a U.S. law
firm, a foreign bank and an English Premier League soccer
club.
Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, 37, a.k.a. “Ray Hushpuppi” and “Hush,” a
Nigerian national, arrived in Chicago Thursday evening after
being expelled from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Abbas made
his initial U.S. court appearance this morning in Chicago, and
he is expected to be transferred to Los Angeles in the coming
weeks.
Abbas was arrested last month by UAE law enforcement officials.
FBI special agents earlier this week obtained custody of Abbas
and brought him to the United States to face a charge of
conspiring to engage in money laundering that is alleged in a
criminal complaint filed on June 25 by federal prosecutors in
Los Angeles.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Abbas
maintains social media accounts that frequently showed him in
designer clothes, wearing expensive watches, and posing in or
with luxury cars and charter jets. “The FBI’s investigation has
revealed that Abbas finances this opulent lifestyle through
crime, and that he is one of the leaders of a transnational
network that facilitates computer intrusions, fraudulent schemes
(including BEC schemes), and money laundering, targeting victims
around the world in schemes designed to steal hundreds of
millions of dollars,” according to the affidavit.
The affidavit describes BEC schemes as often involving a
computer hacker gaining unauthorized access to a business’ email
account, blocking or redirecting communications to and/or from
that email account, and then using the compromised email account
or a separate fraudulent email account to communicate with
personnel from a victim company and to attempt to trick them
into making an unauthorized wire transfer.
“BEC schemes are one of the most difficult cybercrimes we
encounter as they typically involve a coordinated group of con
artists scattered around the world who have experience with
computer hacking and exploiting the international financial
system,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “This case
targets a key player in a large, transnational conspiracy who
was living an opulent lifestyle in another country while
allegedly providing safe havens for stolen money around the
world. As this case demonstrates, my office will continue to
hold such criminals accountable, no matter where they live.”
“In 2019 alone, the FBI recorded $1.7 billion in losses by
companies and individuals victimized through business email
compromise scams, the type of scheme Mr. Abbas is charged with
conducting from abroad,” said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant
Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “While
this arrest has effectively taken a major alleged BEC player
offline, BEC scams represent the most financially costly type of
scheme reported to the FBI. I urge anyone who transfers funds
personally or on behalf of a company to educate themselves about
BEC so they can identify this insidious scheme before losing
sizable amounts of money.”
“This was a challenging case, one that spanned international
boundaries, traditional financial systems and the digital
sphere,” said Jesse Baker, Special Agent in Charge of the United
States Secret Service, Los Angles Field Office. “Technology has
essentially erased geographic boundaries leaving trans-national
criminal syndicates to believe that they are beyond the reach of
law enforcement. The success in this case was the direct result
of our trusted partnerships between the Department of Justice
and our federal law enforcement colleagues. These partnerships
helped dismantle a sophisticated organized crime group who
preyed upon unsuspecting businesses. It is thanks to these
partnerships that the American people can feel a bit more secure
today.”
The affidavit alleges that Abbas and others committed a BEC
scheme that defrauded a client of a New York-based law firm out
of approximately $922,857 in October 2019. Abbas and
co-conspirators allegedly tricked one of the law firm’s
paralegals into wiring money intended for the client’s real
estate refinancing to a bank account that was controlled by
Abbas and the co-conspirators.
The affidavit also alleges that Abbas conspired to launder funds
stolen in a $14.7 million cyber-heist from a foreign financial
institution in February 2019, in which the stolen money was sent
to bank accounts around the world. Abbas allegedly provided a
co-conspirator with two bank accounts in Europe that Abbas
anticipated each would receive €5 million (about $5.6 million)
of the fraudulently obtained funds.
Abbas and others further conspired to launder hundreds of
millions of dollars from other fraudulent schemes and computer
intrusions, including one scheme to steal £100 million
(approximately $124 million) from an English Premier League
soccer club, the complaint alleges.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has
committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until
and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, Abbas
would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal
prison.
The FBI led the investigation of Abbas, and the United States
Secret Service was also involved and provided substantial
assistance. The FBI further thanks the government of the United
Arab Emirates and the Dubai Police Department for their
substantial assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States
Attorneys Anil J. Antony and Joseph B. Woodring of the Cyber and
Intellectual Property Crimes Section. The Criminal Division’s
Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance
in this matter.