Afrobeats star Davido has opened up about his past friendship with convicted fraudster and socialite Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi.
Speaking in a recent podcast interview, Davido confirmed they were friends but said he had no idea about Hushpuppi’s involvement in fraud.
Despite the controversy, the “Awele” hitmaker said he feels sorry for Hushpuppi and hopes he will be released from prison in the U.S. someday.
“Hushpuppi is coming out soon. He lived life. To me, it is not worth it to be locked up. But let me not make excuses for them (fraudsters). Some people are happy to ball for five years and that is it,” he said.
The “30 Billion Gang” frontman also cited Nigeria’s intense economic struggles as a driving force behind the rise of illegal activities.
“In Nigeria, there is a kind of hardship you would face and you’ll be like, you know what? Let me ball for two years then I am good,” he explained.
“People are like that. My prayers go out to him (Hushpuppi). He was my friend. I just saw him around; I never really knew what he was doing. But he lived a good life.”
In 2022, U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II sentenced Hushpuppi to more than 11 years in prison for his role in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. The court also ordered him to pay $1,732,841 in compensation to two of his victims.
Hushpuppi had pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was arrested in Dubai in June 2020 and has been in U.S. federal custody ever since he was extradited from the United Arab Emirates.
“Abbas bragged on social media about his lavish lifestyle — a lifestyle funded by his involvement in transnational fraud and money laundering conspiracies targeting victims around the world,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.
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