ESL WORKSHEET - Ethics and Conduct

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

INFLUENCER PLEADS GUILTY

LinguaHouse
Aug. 8, 2021

Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2-C1)
Type of English: General English
Tags: Breaking News; Fashion; Society and Change; People and Places; Public Relations; Celebrities and Historical Figures; Controversial Issues; Entertainment; Ethics and Conduct; Crime and The Law; Article Based
Publication date: 08/08/2021

This lesson* is based on a news story looking at the July 2021 arrest of Hushpuppi, a social media influencer, for alleged crimes of money laundering. There is also an article that looks at examples of influencers being involved in deception. Exercises encourage students to examine related vocabulary, discuss some of the issues raised by the topic, and practice reading and listening skills, in addition to testing students’ comprehension (by Joe Wilson).

* Note: this lesson is ideal for strong B2

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in British English.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Studio presenter: And joining us now is Juliana with a report from the world of online influencers. Juliana, what do you have for us?
Reporter: Yes, Adam, a lot of talk online today surrounding 37-year-old Ramon Abbas, better known as influencer Hushpuppi, famous for posting photos on social media celebrating his wealth.
Studio presenter: And just how wealthy is he?
Reporter: It’s hard to say with any accuracy, as there is a lot of secrecy surrounding the amount, and sources, of his wealth. But it has been reported as being in the region of twenty million dollars. Typical photographs of his on Instagram show him with shopping bags from expensive stores and him casually posing next to one of his many luxury cars. They gain a lot of attention from his 2.5 million followers.
Studio presenter: So, what happened?
Reporter: Firstly, Abbas was extradited to the United States on July 3rd on charges of money laundering and immediately appeared in court in Chicago. His lawyer claimed that he was effectively kidnapped by the FBI and had done nothing wrong. The United Arab Emirates does not have an extradition treaty with the United States and claims to have expelled Mr. Abbas from Dubai where he lived. This does not explain why Mr. Abbas was able to be taken by American authorities to the United States, as being expelled should have resulted in Mr. Abbas being returned to his native Nigeria. This was where Mr. Abbas grew up in a very poor family before moving to Malaysia and then later to Dubai.
Studio presenter: So, is he in serious trouble?
Reporter: Well, Mr. Abbas, together with a group of other men, is accused of money laundering and other financial crimes, which are said to have made them $456 million. This includes defrauding a bank in Malta as well as clients of a New York City law firm. He is also accused of taking $1.1 million in funds intended for a children’s school in Qatar. To add to this, he is a wanted man in Nigeria. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison and be forced to repay all of his victims before being deported to Nigeria, where he could face further prison time. So yes, “serious trouble” is a good way of putting it.
Studio presenter: Is there any evidence against him?
Reporter: Dubai police did find roughly 2 million email addresses that are thought to belong to possible victims. In his $10,000 per month apartment, there was $40 million in cash as well as a variety of smartphones and laptops, which police believe were used to contact the victims, who to date, number 1,926,400 across the world. All of them were apparently paying for the expensive lifestyle that Abbas was displaying on Instagram. Ironically, it was these posts that caught the attention of the FBI and gave them information about him, such as his date of birth.
Studio presenter: So, he’s made quite a name for himself?
Reporter: He has, and it’s not the first time he has attracted attention. Back in 2017, a song was released in Nigeria by “Timaya” called “Telli Person”. Abbas had a rivalry with Timaya going back a long way. The song is thought to be about Abbas and accuses him of fraud and talks of him spending all of his money on clothes and cars instead of sensible investments. It warns that the authorities would catch up with him. Now that he has pled guilty to his crimes it seems that the song was a pretty accurate prediction.
Studio presenter: Juliana, thank you for your report.
Reporter: You’re welcome, Adam. I’ll be back with updates as the story develops.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/influencer-pleads-guilty. Accessed on April 8, 2022. LinguaHouse.com © 2008 - 2022. All rights reserved.