Ramon Abass, aka Hushpuppi, a Nigerian fraudster who has been found guilty and is awaiting sentencing in the US, has begged for forgiveness and claimed to have changed.
In a handwritten letter before being sentenced in November, Hushpuppi begged trial judge Otis Wright of the US Central District of California to tamper with justice with mercy.
On September 9, while he was being held in the Central Valley Annex Prison in McFarland, California, he wrote a tearful letter to the judge.
One of the court filings his attorneys have made thus far is a three-page letter pleading with the judge to reduce his sentence from the range specified by the statute.
Hushpuppi stated that he only gained $300,000 from the crimes, and that he would refund $1.7 million in restitution to those who fell for his deceptive schemes.
“Your Honour, I totally recognise the seriousness of my offence and no amount of sorry can right my wrong in the hearts of the victims and this is why I have decided to use my personal money to offset all of the entire $1,700,000 restitution even though I only benefited a fraction of $300,000 plus but it makes me feel better that all the victims get every of their penny back,” he wrote.
Hushpuppi added, “I personally consider it as part punishment for myself and it’s the right thing to do. Your Honour, I really am a changed person in the way I think, see life and make decisions.
“My priorities in life has (sic) changed, my focus in life has shifted, I have realised how precious life and freedom is and how important it is to be on the right side of the law.
“Your Honour, I will like to plead with you to see my act of forfeiting my properties that I worked hard for, for many years, for full restitution repayment as part punishment as well.”
The Nigerian has been in detention since his arrest in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and rendition to the US in June 2020.