Chairman of $100 Million Fraud Scheme Extradited to the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged four Ghanaian nationals for their involvement in a significant fraud ring that allegedly stole over $100 million through romance scams and business email compromise attacks. The defendants, Isaac Oduro Boateng (also known as “Kofi Boat”), Inusah Ahmed (“Pascal”), Derrick Van Yeboah (“Van”), and Patrick Kwame Asare (“Borgar”), were reportedly high-ranking members of an international fraud operation based in Ghana, targeting individuals and companies across the United States from 2016 to May 2023. Extradited from Ghana, they arrived in the United States on August 7, where they are now facing serious charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Court documents reveal that the fraudsters, referred to as “sakawa boys” or “game boys,” primarily targeted vulnerable older individuals, deceiving them into believing they were in romantic relationships online. After gaining their trust, they tricked these victims into depositing money into accounts managed by middlemen in the U.S., who would launder the funds and send a portion back to the fraud ring in West Africa. Additionally, the alleged scammers executed business email compromise attacks, using spoofed email accounts to manipulate company employees into wiring funds. Boateng and Ahmed were identified as chairmen of the operation, while Asare and Van Yeboah held high-ranking positions, with the latter directly involved in romance scams. 

Categories: Fraud Schemes, Extradition and Legal Accountability, Cybercrime Tactics 

Tags: Fraud, Romance Scams, Business Email Compromise, Extradition, Money Laundering, Wire Fraud, Vulnerable Individuals, Cybercrime, International Crime Ring, Indictment