The U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons has responded to an enquiry by Peoples Gazette, clarifying the factors that led to the designation of convicted Nigerian Internet fraudsters Ramon Olorunwa Abbas alias Hushpuppi and Olalekan ‘Mr Woodberry’ Ponle in Fort Dix low-security prison facility.
While the FBOP did not deny the Gazette’s report that the duo were being held in Fort Dix, spokesperson Benjamin O’Cone said the bureau does not comment on the conditions of imprisonment of any inmate due to privacy and security concerns.
“Concerning your inquiry, for privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not comment on the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including sharing the reasons why a specific individual is designated to a particular correctional institution,” Mr O’Cone, spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, wrote in an email to The Gazette on Wednesday.
Mr O’Cone instead said that there were factors such as medical needs and how crucial the inmate needed supervision that the bureau considered before designating an inmate to a low, medium or maximum-security facility.
“The FBOP designates individuals to institutions based on several factors. Some of the factors include the level of security and supervision the individual requires, any medical or programming needs, separation, and security measures to ensure the individual’s protection, and other considerations including proximity to an individual’s release residence,” Mr O’Cone told The Gazette.
Hushpuppi, 41, was arrested in June 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and extradited to the U.S. where he was tried and convicted for Internet fraud. He was sentenced to 11 years by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II in November 2022.
The serial fraudster with prison number 54313-424 was moved from a facility outside Los Angeles to Fort Dix where he is expected to serve out the rest of his sentence until August 6, 2029.
Hushpuppi’s ally and fellow scammer, Mr Woodberry, was also picked up by security agents in Dubai in June 2020.
Judge Robert Gettleman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, convicted and sentenced Mr Woodberry to eight years and three months in jail over one count of fraud in July 2023.
He was moved from the infamous Danbury correctional centre in Connecticut to Fort Dix.
Mr Woodberry, 33, with prison registration number 54314-424, is set to be released on October 17, 2027 and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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