Ramon Abass also known as Hushpuppi has hired a top-rated criminal defence lawyer, Loius Shapiro to represent him in his trial in the United States where he is facing fraud-related and money laundering charges.
Hushpuppi hired Shapiro after top Chicago lawyer Gal Pissetzky and California-based criminal defence lawyer Vicki Podberesky, withdrew their services as his attorneys. The duo had accused the former Instagram celebrity of refusing to communicate to them.
After a Judge granted their withdrawal from the case on February 22, a request seeking the approval of Mr Shapiro as Hushpuppi’s new defence counsel was granted on February 25.
Premium Times reported that Mr Shapiro who earned his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, began his career with the New York State Attorney General, Elliot Spitzer.
He also worked at several agencies including Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Detainee Unit and clerked for the federal public defenders office in Los Angeles. Mr Shapiro, a certified criminal law specialist by the State Bar of California, serves as a Criminal Justice Act Federal Trial Panel attorney for the Central District of California.