A Ghanaian citizen has admitted his involvement in a criminal organization that defrauded American victims of more than $100 million through romance scams and business email schemes. Derrick Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and has been ordered to pay over $10 million in restitution for his specific role in the operation.
Derrick Van Yeboah, a forty-year-old high-ranking member of a Ghana-based fraud ring, appeared in court to face charges related to a massive criminal enterprise that operated from 2016 until May 2023. After being extradited to the United States in August 2025, he admitted to collaborating with several accomplices to systematically target individuals and businesses across the country. The group utilized a complex network of international and domestic actors to execute their schemes and move illicit funds across borders.
The criminal operation primarily targeted vulnerable older adults who lived alone by establishing fake romantic relationships online to build trust. These scammers, who referred to themselves by specific cultural nicknames, manipulated their victims into sending significant sums of money to various bank accounts controlled by middlemen in the United States. Once the victims deposited the funds, the local accomplices would take a percentage of the money before laundering the remainder and sending it to the ringleaders in West Africa.
In addition to the emotional manipulation of individuals, the group executed sophisticated business email compromise attacks to steal from corporate entities. By using spoofed email addresses that mimicked legitimate customers or employees, they successfully tricked numerous companies into wiring large payments to fraudulent accounts. Prosecutors noted that Van Yeboah was personally responsible for managing many of the romance scams and was directly linked to at least $10 million in financial losses.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton highlighted the cruelty of the operation, noting that the defendants exploited the basic human desire for companionship to generate illicit profits. The legal proceedings served as a public warning for individuals to remain vigilant on dating platforms and to be wary of any requests for money from people they have only met online. Authorities emphasized that if a situation seems too good to be true, it is likely a fraudulent attempt to steal personal or company assets.
Following his guilty plea, Van Yeboah is now awaiting a formal sentencing hearing scheduled for June 3 before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. Under federal guidelines, he faces a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison for his crimes. The case marks a significant step in the ongoing effort by federal law enforcement to dismantle international fraud rings that specifically target the American public and its financial infrastructure.
Source: Ghanaian Man Pleads Guilty To Role In $100 Million International Fraud Ring