Gal Pissetzky, lawyer to instagram celebrity Ramon Abbas a.k.a Hushpuppi has continued his social media defence of the alleged fraudster, claiming he was ‘kidnapped’ by the FBI as no legal documents were made for his arrest and no extradition treaty exists between the US and the UAE where Hushpuppi was residing.
Hushpuppi was apprehended by the Dubai Police in Dubai , United Arab Emirates in June and subsequently handed over to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The affidavit of the FBI alleged the accused Nigerian fraudster “conspired to launder funds stolen in a $14.7 million cyber-heist from a foreign financial institution.”
He was also accused of being involved in a fraudulent scheme which, through a combination of computer hacking and social engineering, defrauded a New York-based law firm of about $922,800.
Hushpuppi, reportedly duped over 1,926,400 victims, and faces allegations of conspiracy to commit money laundering, among others in the United States, facing a potential 20-year prison sentence.
Hushpuppi ‘s lawyer Pissetzky on Thursday, July 9, in an interview with Forbes said Hushpuppi is “an entrepreneur” who legitimately made his money through “real estate” and “brands promotion”
Talking with BBC on Friday July 10, Chicago-based lawyer Pissetzky said the US had no authority to move Hushpuppi from Dubai alleging his client was ‘kidnapped’ by the US Department of State, and the FBI.
“In my opinion, the FBI and the government here acted illegally when they kidnapped him from Dubai without any legal process to do so,” Mr Pissetzky told the BBC.
“There was no extradition, there were no legal steps taken, there were no court documents filed, it was simply a call to the FBI. He is not a citizen of the United States, the US had absolutely no authority to take him,” his lawyer says.
Pissetzky refused to discuss how he was getting paid for legal fees and says the case could last several months, even longer than a year.