The international lawyers who were representing alleged Nigerian-Dubai-based fraudster Abass Ramon well known as Ray Hushpuppi have applied to withdraw from his case.
Gal Pissetzky and Vicki Podberesky said Mr Abbas stopped communicating with them and has now retained new lawyers to defend him in the case.
Mr Pissetzky and Ms Podberesky recently filed a motion at the United States District Court in California to withdraw from representing Mr Abass.
In the application dated January 21, Mr Pissetzky, who claimed to have been negotiating with the government over the case, said Mr Abass suddenly stopped communicating with him.
“Since Mr Abbas’ arrest and arrival in the Central District of California, I have received voluminous discovery from the government and have been diligently reviewing it and investigating the allegations in this matter.
“My communications with Mr Abbas are by telephone given my inability to fly from Chicago to Los Angeles due to the pandemic. Ms. Podberesky, as local counsel, has made several visits to see Mr Abbas at the Santa Ana Jail and has also communicated with him by telephone.
“I, through Ms. Podberesky, have provided Mr Abbas with a copy of the discovery, reviewed it with him, and had numerous conferences with Mr Abbas telephonically, and Ms Podberesky has also met with him in-person to discuss the case. We discussed with Mr Abbas the potential theories that might be available to him at trial, pre-trial motions, the sentencing guidelines and the potential of a plea agreement.
“After months of discussions with Mr. Abbas and negotiations with the government, Mr Abbas now refuses to effectively communicate with me.
“I have made numerous attempts through family and jail staff to have Mr Abbas call me to discuss critical issues. Mr Abbas, however, has not communicated with me. Both family and jail staff have told me that they have conveyed my messages to Mr Abbas to call me,” the lawyer stated.
He said the lack of communication has created a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship to the point where he believed that Mr Abbas deliberately chose to stop talking to them.
However, on January 21, Mr Pissetzky said he received a telephone call from Mr Abbas, informing him of the decision to retain a new counsel.
“He informed me that he is retaining new counsel. I informed him that I and Ms. Podberesky were moving to withdraw given his refusal to communicate and cooperate with us,” the lawyer added.
The lawyers’ application for withdrawal will be heard by the court on February 22.
In June 2020, the Instagram big boy, known for flaunting his opulent lifestyle on social media, was arrested in Dubai by special operatives, including a joint team of the Dubai Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The FBI, according to an affidavit, said Mr Abbas financed his extravagant lifestyle with proceeds of crime.
He is alleged to be the leader of a mafia behind computer intrusion, business email compromise (BEC) fraud and money laundering.
