Instagram Star Charged With Attempting To Steal £100 Million From A Premier League Club

An Instagram influencer is currently facing criminal charges in the United States for running an alleged global scam which 'targeted' a Premier League side.

Ramon Abbas, known as 'Ray Hushpuppi' on social media, has amassed over 2.4 million followers on Instagram and has gathered a following after flaunting his lavish lifestyle.

Sky News have reported the 37-year-old was arrested in Dubai last month following an intense investigation from the FBI.

'Hushpuppi' has been accused of being involved in a money laundering scheme through business email compromise (BEC), with banks and an unnamed Premier League club being targets.

The investigation was dubbed 'Operation Fox Hunt' and also resulted in a number of other arrests.

In official court documents, the US Department of Justice alleged: "Abbas maintains social media accounts that frequently showed him in designer clothes, wearing expensive watches and posing in or with luxury cars and charter jets.

"The FBI's investigation has revealed that Abbas finances this opulent lifestyle through crime.

"Abbas and others further conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from other fraudulent schemes and computer intrusions, including one scheme to steal £100 million (approximately $124 million) from an English Premier League soccer club," the Department of Justice said.

It's believed the FBI were able to track the Nigerian national thanks to his social media activity over the last few months.

US Attorney Nick Hanna said in a statement: "BEC schemes are one of the most difficult cyber crimes we encounter as they typically involve a coordinated group of con artists scattered around the world who have experience with computer hacking and exploiting the international financial system.

"This case targets a key player in a large, transnational conspiracy who was living an opulent lifestyle in another country while allegedly providing safe havens for stolen money around the world. As this case demonstrates, my office will continue to hold such criminals accountable, no matter where they live."

'Hushpuppi' could face up to 20 years in US prison if he is found guilty.

Topics: Football News, News, Football, Premier League

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a freelance journalist for SPORTbible and covers a variety of sports. He also has past experience of working at Manchester United and once locked eyes with Jose Mourinho. He lived to tell the tale.

@DanMarland1998x