The trial of Instagram celebrity fraudster, Ramoni Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi, took a new twist on Wednesday after the United States District Court for the Central District of California postponed his hearing, which was earlier scheduled for February 14, to July 11, 2022.

The order was granted by Los Angeles Judge Otis D. Wright after Hushpuppi’s lawyers led by Louis Shapiro entered a request for postponement.

He is expected to remain in custody in the intervening period of the delay.

Until his arrest, Hushpuppi was an enviable social media celeb known for flaunting his opulent lifestyle that involved exclusive posts of him in private jets, luxury cars, newly launched designer clothes, globe-trotting and dining with socialites, footballers and notable politicians.

Abbas’ arrest was facilitated by a United States’ FBI investigation that unveiled him as one of the kingpins of a transnational cybercrime network specializing in Business Email Compromise scams, a fast-growing form of cyber-fraud that involves hacking corporate emails and sending fake messages to clients in order to redirect financial transfers and steal bank details.

He pleaded guilty last year to the charges, seeking a lighter sentence.

The US court document read, “At the request of counsel, the sentencing is continued to July 11, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.”