Ghanaian man pleads guilty in $100 million fraud case tied to romance scams and BEC attacks

A Ghanaian national has pleaded guilty in New York to helping run a fraud operation that U.S. prosecutors say stole more than $100 million from victims across the United States. The Department of Justice says Derrick Van Yeboah, 40, admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a Ghana-based criminal group that used romance scams and business email compromise attacks to steal money from individuals and businesses.

Van Yeboah also agreed to pay restitution and forfeiture of $10,149,429.17, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors say he personally carried out many of the romance scams described in the case and was tied to more than $10 million in victim losses.

The plea marks another major development in a long-running international case that U.S. officials say targeted vulnerable Americans between 2016 and May 2023. Prosecutors previously announced the extradition of Van Yeboah and three alleged accomplices from Ghana in August 2025, describing the broader criminal organization as responsible for more than $100 million in losses.

What prosecutors say happened

According to the DOJ, members of the ring called themselves “game boys” or “sakawa boys” and targeted victims through online relationship scams and spoofed business communications. Prosecutors say the group persuaded many victims, including older Americans living alone, to believe they were in real romantic relationships and then convinced them to send money into bank accounts controlled by U.S.-based intermediaries.

Those intermediaries allegedly kept a cut and then sent the rest of the money to organizers in West Africa, described in court filings as “chairmen,” who coordinated the broader fraud activity. The DOJ also says the network ran business email compromise schemes that tricked companies into wiring money by impersonating customers or employees through spoofed email accounts.

Case at a glance

Why this case matters

This case stands out because it combines two of the most damaging online fraud models into one operation. Romance scams exploit trust and isolation, while business email compromise attacks target routine payment workflows inside companies. Federal prosecutors say this ring used both approaches at scale over several years, which helped drive losses above the $100 million mark.

The plea also shows how far U.S. investigators will go to pursue cross-border fraud cases. The DOJ credited the FBI, the government of Ghana, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for helping bring Van Yeboah to the United States after his August 2025 extradition.

Key points

• U.S. prosecutors say the broader fraud ring stole more than $100 million.
• Derrick Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
• He agreed to pay more than $10.1 million in restitution and forfeiture.
• Prosecutors say the group used both romance scams and business email compromise attacks.
• Sentencing is scheduled for June 3, 2026.

What officials said

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the defendant “cruelly exploited” vulnerable victims for illicit profit and urged people to stay cautious online, especially on dating platforms. The DOJ said Van Yeboah’s guilty plea reflects the office’s effort to pursue international fraud groups that target Americans through online deception and financial manipulation.

When prosecutors announced the extraditions last year, Clayton said offshore scammers should know that U.S. authorities and their international partners would work across borders to bring perpetrators to justice. That earlier statement now gives more context to the plea, which is one of the clearest courtroom outcomes so far in the broader case.

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