David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has broken his silence on his past association with convicted internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas (Hushpuppi), stating that although they were friends, he was unaware of Hushpuppi’s criminal dealings.
Speaking during a recent podcast appearance, the ‘Unavailable’ crooner addressed the controversy surrounding their relationship, emphasising that his knowledge of the former Instagram influencer was limited to social encounters and not his illicit activities.
He said, “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.”
Despite Hushpuppi’s conviction in the United States, Davido expressed a degree of sympathy for him, adding that Nigeria’s harsh economic realities often push some individuals towards illegal paths.
“In Nigeria, there is a kind of hardship you would face, and you will be like, you know what? Let me ball for two years, then I’m good,” he explained.
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“People are like that. My prayers go out to him (Hushpuppi). He was my friend. I just see him around, I never really knew what he was doing. But he lived a good life.”
In 2022, Hushpuppi was sentenced to over 11 years in prison by United States District Judge Otis Wright II for conspiring to commit fraud involving millions of dollars. He was also ordered to pay $1,732,841 in restitution to two victims of the scam.
Hushpuppi had earlier pleaded guilty in April 2021 to conspiracy to engage in money laundering. He was arrested in Dubai in June 2020 and later extradited to the US, where he has remained in federal custody.
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