Fact Check: Did Hushpuppi perpetrate $400k fraud while in US prison?

In March 2022, a purported court document alleged that Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi was caught committing fraud and money laundering in the U.S Federal correctional facility.

CLAIM: The document stated that fresh allegations have been leveled against Hushpuppi as the United States prosecutors allegedly submitted court documents showing that Hushpuppi committed fraud and laundered over $400,000 while in jail.

The documents also stated that Hushpuppi, while in prison, participated in the purchase and laundering of Economic Impact Payment debit cards fraudulently obtained from stolen data of US citizens and residents.

Below are the documents that allegedly indicted Hushpuppi who is currently standing trial in the US where he pleaded guilty to internet fraud.

document Pulse Nigeria

document 2 Pulse Nigeria

However, the claims in the viral documents have been fact-checked to be false and have been dismissed by US officials.

According to AFP, the documents were digitally manipulated as there are no traces of the documents on the website of the US Department of Justice.

An American cybercrime expert, Gary Warner also debunked reports on the claim saying some scammers were behind the viral report of the notorious Nigerian fraudster.

Hours after the documents surfaced on social media with local media reporting it, Warner, who is a Director of Research in Computer Forensics at the University of Alabama tweeted to dismiss the reports.

He said the viral document is a doctored version of a June 2020 affidavit.

VERDICT: The claim that Hushpuppi perpetrated $400k fraud while in US prison is FALSE.