Romance scam suspects extradited from Ghana, charged with more than $100 million in thefts

Three men were extradited from Ghana to the U.S. last week after the Department of Justice accused them of earning more than $100 million through a variety of romance scams and business email compromises. 

The DOJ unsealed an indictment naming four Ghanaian nationals — Isaac Oduro Boateng, Inusah Ahmed, Derrick Van Yeboah and Patrick Kwame Asare. Boateng, Ahmed and Van Yeboah arrived in the U.S. on August 7 and appeared in court on Friday. Asare has not been detained, according to U.S. officials.  

“Deceiving businesses using email compromise campaigns and tricking innocent elderly victims through fraudulent companionship in order to exploit their trust and finances is not merely appalling but illegal,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia.

Court documents say the four men were the senior leaders of a Ghana-based criminal organization that conducted romance and investment scams targeting elderly Americans while also performing more traditional cyberattacks on businesses and siphoning funds from them. 

Prosecutors said the scheme ran from about 2016 to May 2023, with workers convincing dozens of victims they were in relationships with the scammers. Many victims “were vulnerable, older men and women who lived alone,” the DOJ said. 

Victims were typically contacted over text or through social media and were often introduced to others for fictitious investment opportunities and more.

After the money was obtained, they used some of the victims or money mules in the U.S. to launder the funds. The DOJ said many victims were told to transfer funds to middlemen that held business bank accounts under the name of shell companies involved in automobile sales, food imports, freight trucking and more. The middlemen would take a cut of the funds and send the rest to West Africa. 

The money was sent in large tranches often eclipsing several hundred thousands dollars. 

Once the money made it back to West Africa, large portions were given to “chairmen” of the organization, which included Ahmed, 40 and Boateng, 36, according to prosecutors. Van Yeboah, 40, was also considered senior but was personally involved in several romance scams, the DOJ said. 

The four men are facing multiple charges including wire fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen money and more. In total each is facing a maximum sentence of 75 years in prison if convicted on all the charges. 

U.S. officials thanked Interpol and Ghana’s Police Service for their work facilitating the extradition. 

In April, the FBI said it received nearly 860,000 complaints in the last year and recorded a “staggering” $16.6 billion in losses to businesses and individuals from internet scams, including billions lost in romance scams.

At the time, Chris Delgado, chief of the FBI’s financial crime section, emphasized that fraud schemes were emanating from Ghana and India — where a range of cyber-enabled crimes are being facilitated through call centers.