The US government has dismissed claims that detained Nigerian influencer Ramon Abbas, known as Hushpuppi, executed a $400 000 (£304,000) internet fraud from prison.
Hushpuppi, 37, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2020 for crimes that cost victims almost $24m.
He is currently in a US jail awaiting sentencing having pleaded guilty to money laundering.
On Thursday, a document emerged on social media claiming that the FBI filed new evidence against Hushpuppi on Wednesday for defrauding Americans using prison internet facilities.
It is not clear where the document that has gone viral originated from.
An official of the US Department of Justice says the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, which filed the case against Hushpuppi, has not filed any such document.
“The document appears to have been fabricated… We have checked with the FBI who supposedly authored the document, and they confirm it is a fake,” an official said.
