A Nigerian influencer known as Hushpuppi pleaded guilty in a US court to money laundering.
Ramon Abbas could face 20 years in prison after admitting the charge in a California court on Thursday.
The 37-year-old was arrested in Dubai last year in a highly publicised raid on his luxury apartment at a five-star hotel.
Court documents said Abbas's crimes cost victims almost $24 million in total. Prosecutors previously alleged he was responsible for scams valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
In one scheme, he tried to steal more than $1.1 million from someone who wanted to fund a new children's school in Qatar.
Court records unsealed this week show he pleaded guilty to this charge on April 20, 2021.
He will need to "pay full restitution to the victims" if he is to be released.
Commenting on the Qatar scam in a statement, acting US attorney Tracy Wilkinson said Abbas and his accomplices posed as bank officials and created a bogus website to fake the financing of the school.
The gang also bribed a foreign official to keep the elaborate pretence going after the victim was tipped off.
Rolls-Royces and purple bathrobes
The court heard of Abbas's extravagant lifestyle – he lived in the residence of the Palazzo Versace on Dubai Creek and owned a fleet of luxury cars.
His Instagram account – last updated shortly before his arrest 59 weeks ago – had 2.5 million followers and his final post was about collecting a new Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Other pictures show him stepping out of a helicopter at Dubai's Atlantis The Palm resort.
He had fans believe he was a highly successful businessman who made it big in Dubai and the Middle East. He had a penchant for loud shirts, private jet travel, purple bathrobes and he lived and spent extravagantly.
Kristi Johnson, acting director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, told BBC News that Abbas one of the "most high-profile money launderers in the world", acting in the open rather than the shadows.
Almost $41 million in cash and 13 cars valued at about $6.8 million were seized, as were phone and computer evidence containing more than 100,000 fraudulent files. In addition, the email addresses of nearly two million possible victims were found, Dubai Police said at the time.
Original raid on Hushpuppi's Versace residence apartment
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The years Ramadan fell in May