How Hushpuppi conspired with Canadian, North Korean military hackers to steal $14.7m from Malta bank
More revelations are emerging about the scale of atrocities committed by Nigerian hacker Ramon Olorunwa Abass aka Hushpuppi, following statements from law enforcers, and exclusive conversations between the DoJ and Neusroom..
Hushpuppi was arrested during operation Fox Hunt 2, a coordinated raid on his Dubai hotel residence on June 10, 2020.
On Wednesday February 17, 2021, the United States Department of Justice indicted three North Korean military hackers – Jon Chang Hyok, 31; Kim Il, 27; and Park Jin Hyok, 36; in a wide-ranging scheme to commit cyberattacks and financial crimes across the globe.
Hushpuppi’s name, once again, appeared conspicuously in the charges indicting the North Korean and their Canandian-American co-conspirator, Ghaleb Alaumary, 37, who is said to be Hushpuppi’s ally.
According to a statement by the U.S Department of Justice seen by Neusroom, Alaumary organised teams of co-conspirators in the U.S and Canada to launder millions of dollars obtained through ATM cash-out operations, including from BankIslami and a bank in India in 2018.
“Alaumary also conspired with Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, aka ‘Ray Hushpuppi,’ and others to launder funds from a North Korean-perpetrated cyber-enabled heist from a Maltese bank in February 2019,” the DoJ added.
A statement by the FBI in July 2020 had said “Abbas conspired to launder funds stolen in a $14.7 million cyber-heist from a foreign financial institution in February 2019, in which the stolen money was sent to bank accounts around the world.
The unnamed financial institution is the Bank of Valetta, Malta’s oldest financial institution. The cyber-heist took place on February 13, 2019, forcing the bank to shut down operations for a day.
Hushpuppi allegedly provided a co-conspirator, who was not named at that time but is now believed to be Alaumary, with two bank accounts in Europe that Abbas anticipated would each receive €5 million (about $5.6 million) of the loot.
Alaumary of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, who’s described as a prolific money launderer for hackers engaged in ATM cash-out schemes, cyber-enabled bank heists, business email compromise (BEC) schemes, and other online fraud schemes, has now agreed to plead guilty to the charge.
With his guilty plea, there are chances that Hushpuppi who is alleged to be his co-conspirator, may be forced to also agree to plead guilty to the allegations against him.
Pleading guilty means he would get a reduced sentence like Obinwanne Okeke aka Invictus Obi who was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a U.S court on Tuesday February 16, 2021 for global wire fraud.
Meanwhile, Hushpuppi has changed the two lawyers – Gal Pissetzky and Vicki Podberesky, handling his criminal case.
The Department of Justice told Neusroom in an email over the weekend that the hearing of an application filed by Hushpuppi’s lawyers to withdraw from his case will be held on Monday February 22, 2021.
“There is a hearing on Monday concerning his lawyers who have asked to be taken off the case,” Thom Mrozek, spokesperson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, wrote in his response to an email by a Neusroom correspondent.
Neusroom called Gal Pissetzky on Sunday for comment on his plan to withdraw from the case. He refused to comment and claimed the information given by the justice department is wrong.
“I’m not going to comment on that, and you got your facts all wrong,” Pissetzky said.
Vicki Podberesky also refused to respond to an email sent by Neusroom asking why she chose to be taken off the case.
Meanwhile Mrozek also confirmed to Neusroom that Hushpuppi is still in custody in Los Angeles.
He’s being held over allegations that he conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from BEC frauds and other scams. His trial was moved from October 2020 to May 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
A Neusroom expose on Hushpuppi in July 2020 revealed how he started internet fraud from a Lagos slum before travelling out of the country where he lived a lavish lifestyle posting photos of exotic cars, designer clothes and shoes, , jewelry, wine, and women on his Instagram page from his luxury hotel apartment at the Palazzo Versace Dubai.
