The U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) has responded to an inquiry from Peoples Gazette, shedding light on the factors that led to the assignment of convicted Nigerian internet fraudsters Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, and Olalekan ‘Mr. Woodberry’ Ponle to the low-security Fort Dix prison facility.
While the FBOP confirmed that both individuals are being held at Fort Dix, spokesperson Benjamin O’Cone stated that the bureau does not comment on the conditions of imprisonment for any inmate due to privacy and security concerns.
“Regarding 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 wrote in an email to The Gazette on Wednesday.
Mr. O’Cone elaborated that several factors, including medical needs and the level of supervision required, are considered before assigning 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 of internet fraud. He was sentenced to 11 years by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II in November 2022. With prison number 54313-424, he was transferred from a facility outside Los Angeles to Fort Dix, where he is expected to serve the remainder of his sentence until August 6, 2029.
Hushpuppi’s associate, Mr. Woodberry, was also arrested in Dubai in June 2020. In July 2023, 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 prison for one count of fraud. He was transferred from the Danbury correctional center in Connecticut to Fort Dix.
Mr. Woodberry, 33, with prison registration number 54314-424, is scheduled for release on October 17, 2027, and will be deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
(Peoples Gazette)
