Four Ghanaian nationals have been indicted in the United States for allegedly participating in an international fraud ring that stole over $100 million through romance scams and business email compromise schemes.
Gatekeepers News reports that suspects: Isaac Oduro Boateng (also known as “Kofi Boat”), Inusah Ahmed (“Pascal”), Derrick Van Yeboah (“Van”), and Patrick Kwame Asare (“Borgar”) were identified as key members of the syndicate.
Boateng, Ahmed, and Van Yeboah were extradited from Ghana and arrived in the US on August 7, while Asare remains at large.
They were arraigned before US Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger on Friday, with the case assigned to District Judge Arun Subramanian.
According to US authorities, the group targeted vulnerable individuals, especially elderly victims, by posing as romantic partners to gain trust and extort money.
They also carried out business email compromise attacks to deceive companies into transferring funds, which were allegedly laundered back to West Africa. Boateng and Ahmed were reportedly “chairmen” overseeing the operations.
Each defendant faces charges including wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to receive stolen funds, and receipt of stolen funds. Some charges carry potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
US prosecutors credited the FBI’s collaboration with Ghanaian authorities including the Economic and Organized Crime Office, Ghana Police Service–INTERPOL, Cyber Security Authority, and National Intelligence Bureau — for facilitating the extraditions.
The case is being prosecuted by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, led by Assistant US Attorneys Kevin Mead and Mitzi Steiner.
