Hushpuppi left with no lawyers as court grants attorneys’ request to withdraw from case

The United States District Court for the Central District of California has approved the application filed by lawyers to Ramon Abass Olorunwa aka Hushpuppi to withdraw from his case. The U.S Department of Justice confirmed this to Neusroom today.

Hushpuppi’s trial is set for May 4, 2021. He’s now ‘left with no legal representation’ the DoJ confirmed to Neusroom in an email.

Neusroom reported that the court would hear the application for withdrawal filed by his lawyers on Monday February 22, 2021.

According to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct of the American Bar Association seen by Neusroom, court approval or notice to the court is often required by applicable law before a lawyer withdraws from pending litigation.

Thom Mrozek, spokesperson of the Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, who told Neusroom in an email over the weekend that the court would hear the application on Monday, however, said the hearing did not hold.

“Turns out there was no hearing,” Mrozek wrote in an email on Tuesday February 23, 2021. “The judge granted his lawyers’ request to get off the case.”

Two award-winning criminal defense lawyers Gal Pissetzky and Vicki Podberesky have been representing the Nigerian hacker who is standing trial in Los Angeles over an alleged conspiracy to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from Business Email Compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams.

The lawyers refused to comment on their withdrawal from the case when a Neusroom correspondent spoke with them on phone and via email.

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Hushpuppi and his legal representatives may have disagreed on the best approach to take on the case especially with the emergence of more revelations about the scale of his alleged atrocities as seen in statements from law enforcers, and exclusive conversations between the DoJ and Neusroom.

Hushpuppi is yet to hire a new lawyer and he is yet to notify the court on his next move less than three months before the commencement of his trial set for May 4, 2021.

Mrozek said “We [are] waiting for him [Hushpuppi] to hire a new attorney.”