DUBAI: UAE law enforcement assisted in the apprehension of six individuals facing criminal charges by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles, state news agency WAM reported on Friday.
Six fraudsters, including Nigerian socialite Ray Hushpuppi, are alleged of defrauding a Qatari school founder and laundering the proceeds through banks around the world.
Acting US Attorney Tract L. Wilkison said: “The defendants allegedly faked the financing of a Qatari school by playing the roles of bank officials and creating a bogus website,” in addition to bribing a foreign official to keep the elaborate scheme going.
While led by the FBI, the UAE played a “strategic” role in apprehending the defendants, according to Hamid Al-Zaabi, director-general of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism unit.
He added: “This case will act as a landmark for the effectiveness of multinational collaboration.”
According to the US penal code, both conspiracy counts carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, while aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year prison term.
