Three notorious Nigerian internet fraudsters, known for their significant social media and political influence, are currently serving out their sentences at the Fort Dix low-security prison near Joint Base McGuire in Burlington County, New Jersey.
Among them is Bidemi Rufai, set to be released on Valentine’s Day in 2025, as reported by Peoples Gazette.
The trio includes Ray ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas, 41, Jacob Olalekan Ponle, also known as Mr. Woodberry, 33, and Mr. Rufai, 46. They are all being held at Fort Dix, where they will presumably serve the remainder of their jail terms.
Bidemi Rufai, an ally of Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, was arrested in May 2021 at John F. Kennedy Airport while attempting to flee to Nigeria with a Royal Dutch ticket.
FBI special agent Heidi Hawkins coordinated his arrest after uncovering a scheme in which Mr. Rufai stole the identities of thousands of U.S. citizens to claim COVID-19 benefits, amounting to half a million dollars. He used the stolen funds to support his lavish lifestyle, purchasing luxury cars and watches.
Rufai pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, receiving a five-year prison sentence. He was also ordered to pay $604,000 in restitution to the victims of his scam, which included several government institutions such as the Washington Employment Security Department ($350,763), Arkansas Division of Workforce Services ($10,166), Maine Department of Labor ($8,205), and the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency ($44,216).
Mr. Rufai, identified by prison number 83912-053, was transferred from a facility outside Seattle, Washington, to Fort Dix ahead of his release in 2025.
Jacob Olalekan Ponle, alias Mr. Woodberry, was also moved to Fort Dix from the Danbury correctional center in Connecticut. With a prison registration number of 54314-424, Mr. Woodberry is scheduled for release on October 17, 2027, after which he will be deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Mr. Woodberry, a social media influencer with over a million followers before his Instagram page was deactivated, was arrested in Dubai alongside Hushpuppi in June 2020. In July 2023, he was convicted of one count of fraud by Judge Robert Gettleman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago and sentenced to eight years and three months in prison. As part of a plea bargain, he agreed to return $8 million to seven victims and forfeit his diamond-studded jewelry.
Ray ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas, another prominent figure in the trio, known for flaunting his luxurious lifestyle on Instagram, was also transferred to Fort Dix from a facility outside Los Angeles. With prison number 54313-424, Hushpuppi is expected to serve his sentence until August 6, 2029.
Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai in June 2020 and extradited to the U.S. to face internet fraud charges. In 2022, he was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II.
It remains unclear if U.S. prison officials were aware that these Nigerian inmates were associates from their home country and Dubai. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons did not respond to requests for comments.
