A U.S. court sentenced a Ghanaian guy by the name of Derrick Van Yeboah to 85 months in prison and two years supervised release. The scams targeted lonely American citizens and totalled $10 million. Furthermore, Yeboah has been on the radar of the FBI for a while now due to his suspicious activities.
Court Orders Forfeiture of Over $10 Million
Judge Arun Subramanian also ordered Van Yeboah, 41, to forfeit $10,149,429.17 to the U.S. government. Moreover, such forfeiture is common when courts sentence a fraudulent criminal. Thus, the sentence came on Wednesday, sending a clear signal to the other criminals at large.
FBI and Ghana Authorities Collaborated in Extradition
The FBI worked with Ghana’s Attorney General to extradite Van Yeboah in August 2025 to the US. However, Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in March 2026. Hence, the final judgement.
Van Yeboah Is Part of a Larger $100 Million International Crime Ring
Van Yeboah belonged to an international crime ring that stole over $100 million through business email compromise. The group targeted older Americans seeking romance online. For this reason, the older Americans, due to loneliness, are the most vulnerable to such a crime.
Deceptive Fake Identities Led to Millions Lost
Van Yeboah, used fake identities to deceive women in Ohio and Delaware, stealing 4.2 𝑚 𝑖 𝑙 𝑙 𝑖 𝑜 𝑛 𝑏 𝑒 𝑡 𝑤 𝑒 𝑒 𝑛 2019 𝑎 𝑛 𝑑 2020. 𝐼 𝑛 2024 , ℎ 𝑒 𝑡 𝑟 𝑖 𝑐 𝑘 𝑒 𝑑 𝑎 𝑚 𝑎 𝑛 𝑖 𝑛 𝑁 𝑜 𝑟 𝑡 ℎ 𝐶 𝑎 𝑟 𝑜 𝑙 𝑖 𝑛 𝑎 𝑜 𝑢 𝑡 𝑜 𝑓 123,000.
U.S. Attorney Highlights Exploitation of Trust and Loneliness
“Romance scammers do not simply steal money—they weaponise 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.” No doubt, romance scam syndicates are popular in third-world countries partly due to poverty. A larger number of them exist in Asia and Africa.
Commitment to Pursue International Criminal Organisations
“Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of these calculated frauds and our commitment to pursuing international criminal organisations that target Americans,” Clayton added. Also, this is made possible with advanced technology via AI, which can easily track millions of phone and social media correspondences.
Conclusion
The sentence sends a clear message that fraudsters face serious consequences. Moreover, law enforcement agencies will continue to collaborate internationally. Therefore, criminals targeting vulnerable victims should expect swift justice. Ultimately, this case highlights the importance of vigilance and trust verification online. Moving forward, authorities remain committed to protecting citizens from evolving scams.
