Ghanaian jailed over role in $100 Million International Romance Scam Network
A United States court has sentenced Ghanaian national Derrick Van Yeboah, also known as Van, to 85 months (more than seven years) in prison for his involvement in an international fraud syndicate that stole over $100 million through romance scams and business email compromise schemes.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Van was a senior member of the criminal organisation known as “The Enterprise,” where he was recognised as one of the group’s leaders, referred to as a “Chairman.”
Van appeared before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian on July 28, 2026, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The judge subsequently handed down the prison sentence.
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the fraud network preyed on vulnerable individuals by exploiting trust, loneliness and legitimate business relationships, ultimately defrauding victims of more than $100 million.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said romance scammers do more than steal money—they manipulate emotions and abuse the trust of unsuspecting victims.
He noted that Van Yeboah and his accomplices used deceptive tactics to carry out sophisticated fraud schemes, adding that the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and the commitment of U.S. authorities to dismantling international criminal organisations targeting Americans.
Investigators found that Van personally obtained more than $10 million from victims through romance scams by posing as fictitious romantic partners online.
Court documents revealed that in 2019 and 2020, Van used fake identities to deceive women from Ohio and Delaware, persuading them to transfer approximately $4.2 million into bank accounts controlled by members of the criminal network.
Authorities also disclosed that in 2024, he targeted a man in North Carolina, convincing the victim to send about $123,000 after falsely claiming he needed financial assistance for a parent’s funeral and to recover gold and diamonds from Italy.
In addition to the prison sentence, the 41-year-old Ghanaian was ordered to serve two years of supervised release after completing his jail term.
The court also directed Van Yeboah to forfeit $10,149,429.17, representing proceeds linked to the fraud scheme.
Read the full release by the US Attorney General’s office below:
Ghanaian National Sentenced To 85 Months In Prison For Stealing More Than $10 Million Via Romance Scams
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that DERRICK VAN YEBOAH, a/k/a “Van,” was sentenced to 85 months in prison for his role in an international criminal organization that stole more than $100 million from victims via romance scams and business email compromises. On March 5, 2026, VAN YEBOAH pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who imposed today’s sentence.
“Romance scammers do not simply steal money—they weaponize trust,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Van Yeboah and his co-conspirators exploited trust, loneliness, and legitimate business relationships to steal more than $100 million. Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of these calculated frauds and our commitment to pursuing international criminal organizations that target Americans.”
According to the charging documents and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:
VAN YEBOAH was a member of a criminal organization primarily based in Ghana that committed romance scams and business email compromises against individuals and businesses located across the United States. Many of the conspiracy’s victims were vulnerable older men and women who were tricked into believing that they were in online romantic relationships with persons who were, in fact, fake identities assumed by members of the conspiracy. Once members of the conspiracy had gained the trust of their victims, they deceived those victims into sending their money to the enterprise or into helping them launder funds from other victims. The conspirators also committed business email compromises to trick and deceive businesses into wiring funds to the enterprise. In total, the conspiracy stole and laundered more than $100 million from dozens of victims. After stealing the money, the fraud proceeds were then laundered to West Africa.
VAN YEBOAH personally perpetrated many of the romance scams by impersonating fake romantic partners in communications with victims. For example, in 2019 and 2020, VAN YEBOAH assumed fake identities to engage in romance scams with an Ohio woman and a Delaware woman and induced them into transferring approximately $4.2 million to accounts belonging to members of the conspiracy. Similarly, in 2024, VAN YEBOAH assumed a fake identity to engage in a romance scam with a North Carolina man and induced him into transferring approximately $123,000 to accounts belonging to members of the conspiracy by claiming that he needed funds for both a parent’s funeral and to recover gold and diamonds from Italy.
VAN YEBOAH is being held responsible for more than $10 million he stole from victims via his romance scam.
In addition to the prison term, VAN YEBOAH, 41, of Ghana, was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $10,149,429.17 in forfeiture.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the International Cooperation Unit of the Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana to secure VAN YEOBAH’s August 7, 2025, extradition to the United States. Ghana’s Economic and Organized Crime Office, the Ghana Police Service – INTERPOL, Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority, and Ghana’s National Intelligence Bureau all provided significant assistance to ensure VAN YEOBAH’s extradition.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mead and Mitzi Steiner are in charge of the prosecution.
