Ghanaian national, Derrick Van Yeboah, has pleaded guilty in a United States federal court to stealing more than $10 million from victims through online romance scams.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the 40-year-old admitted his role in a large international fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable individuals, particularly older men and women seeking companionship online.
Prosecutors said Van Yeboah was part of a criminal organization based primarily in Ghana that used fake online identities to lure victims into fraudulent romantic relationships. Once the perpetrators gained the trust of their targets, they persuaded them to send money or assist in laundering funds from other victims.
Authorities said the criminal network stole and laundered more than $100 million from dozens of victims across the United States through a combination of romance scams and business email compromise schemes. The latter involved impersonating business executives or trusted contacts to trick companies into sending wire transfers to accounts controlled by the group.
Van Yeboah personally carried out several romance scams by posing as fake romantic partners online and was directly responsible for losses exceeding $10 million, prosecutors said.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the scheme exploited the vulnerabilities of people searching for companionship online.
“Many people look for relationships online, but no one deserves to have that vulnerability exploited for fraud and theft,” Clayton said, warning internet users to be cautious when interacting with strangers on dating platforms.
Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
As part of his plea agreement, he also agreed to pay more than $10.1 million in restitution and forfeiture to compensate victims.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2026.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and prosecuted by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Authorities say the case highlights the growing global threat of online romance scams and cyber fraud schemes that target vulnerable individuals and businesses.
