Hushpuppi Hires Former Govt. Lawyer As Defence Counsel

Suspected international fraudster, Ramon Abass also known as Hushpuppi has hired a top-rated criminal defence lawyer, Loius Shapiro to represent him in his trial in the United States.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is accusing the Nigerian socialite of being part of a network that made “hundreds of millions of dollars” from business email compromise frauds and other scams.

In June 2020, the 37-year-old known for flaunting his wealthy lifestyle on Instagram, was jointly arrested special operatives of Emerati police and American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Dubai.

Read Also: Dubai Police Release Short Film ‘FoxHunt2’ On How Hushpuppi, Woodberry, Others Were Tailed And Arrested For Online Fraud (Video)

He was apprehended alongside his partner, Olalekan Ponle ‘Woodberry’, and were extradited to the US to face trial for alleged crime.

Hushpuppi hired Shapiro after top Chicago lawyer Gal Pissetzky and California-based criminal defence lawyer, Vicki Podberesky, withdrew their services as his attorneys. The duo accused the former Instagram celebrity of refusing to communicate to them.

After a Judge granted their withdrawal from the case on February 22, a request seeking the approval of Mr Shapiro as Hushpuppi’s new defence counsel was granted on February 25.

According to Premium Times, Mr Shapiro who earned his law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, began his career with New York State Attorney General, Elliot Spitzer.

He also worked at several agencies including Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Detainee Unit and clerked for the federal public defenders office in Los Angeles.

Mr Shapiro, a certified criminal law specialist by the State Bar of California, serves as a Criminal Justice Act Federal Trial Panel attorney for the Central District of California.