By Aliu Akeem
Brett Johnson, a former American cybercriminal and now cybersecurity consultant, expressed skepticism that Nigerian social media influencer Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppy, will be easily released.
Hushpuppy is currently serving an 11-year sentence in the United States for international fraud. Johnson, who was once on the FBI’s most wanted list and now works as a cybersecurity consultant for companies including Microsoft, spoke at the just-concluded GITEX global event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Even if Abbas is given a second chance after his criminal history, he said, he may have a hard time finding similar opportunities because of systemic inequality. “Hush Puppy may not have the second chance that I did,” Johnson said, highlighting the difficulties Abbas could face because of his past.
“You never know where this person is coming from and what opportunities are available to them. That’s true, and I think it’s really unfortunate, but that’s the way the world works right now,” he said. Johnson was the mastermind behind ShadowCrew, an early online marketplace for illicit activity that helped pave the way for today’s darknet markets.He was eventually arrested and worked with the Secret Service as a consultant and informant.
Johnson went on to point out the racial and socioeconomic inequalities that often limit prospects for rehabilitation, saying, “The truth is, white men have more opportunities than he (Abbas) will have.”
The cybersecurity expert believes Abbas will face significant obstacles in trying to rebuild his life after prison. Before his arrest in Dubai in 2020, Hushpuppy had more than two million followers on Instagram. Abbas was known for boasting about his lavish lifestyle and is alleged to have raised his fortune through elaborate schemes to defraud victims around the world.
Johnson said incarceration can be an opportunity for self-improvement.
“When I went to prison, they said: Everything you don’t like about yourself, everything you want to change, you have a chance to change it in prison,” he said. “If you’re a criminal and you want a different life, you can tackle that from prison and change your life.”
Johnson urged Abbas to use his time in prison to transform himself, and advocated for the rehabilitation of criminals. “It’s better to help people than to hurt them,” he said.
