Nigerian influencer Hushpuppi to be sentenced by US court in July

UAE played a key role in bringing the Instagram celebrity before a US court to face money laundering charges

Ramon Abbas, known as Hushpuppi, may face decades in jail. The National

The sentencing in US federal court of a Nigerian influencer known as Hushpuppi has been postponed, court documents show.

The judge in the case this week ordered a postponement until July 11 at the request of lawyers.

Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas, pleaded guilty in a US court to money laundering in July last year.

He could face 20 years in prison after admitting the charge in a California court.

The Instagram celebrity was arrested in Dubai in 2020 in a highly publicised raid on his luxury apartment at a five-star hotel.

Court documents said Abbas's crimes cost victims almost $24 million in total. Prosecutors previously alleged he was responsible for scams worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Abbas, with five others, was charged in an elaborate scheme to defraud a Qatari school founder and launder the proceeds through bank accounts around the world.

US authorities have credited the UAE for helping in the case.

Abbas's Instagram account, not updated since shortly before his arrest, has 2.6 million followers. His final post was about collecting a new Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Other pictures show him stepping out of a helicopter at Dubai's Atlantis The Palm resort.