US: Ohio Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Romance Fraud Linked to Ghanaian Scammers
- Abdoul Issaka Assimiou, 38, of Parma, Ohio, received a 63-month prison sentence for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering
- The convicted man and his co-conspirators used dating websites and social media to defraud elderly victims across Northern Ohio and beyond
- Abdoul Issaka Assimiou retained portions of the stolen funds and shipped purchased products to fraud co-conspirators based in Ghana
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Abdoul Issaka Assimiou, a 38-year-old resident of Parma, Ohio, has been sentenced to 63 months (5.25 years) in federal prison for his role in a romance fraud conspiracy involving fraudsters from Ghana.
Source: Getty Images
US District Judge John R. Adams handed down the sentence after Assimiou pleaded guilty in October 2025 to two counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
The Parma-based man was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $220,485 in restitution to 15 victims.
The US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced the news on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Why was Abdoul Issaka Assimiou jailed?
In a press release on July 14, the District Attorney's Office stated that Assimiou was involved in a scheme that preyed on elderly victims across Northern Ohio and other parts of the United States, with direct links to fraudsters operating in Ghana from December 2017 to March 2024.
According to court records, Assimiou and his co-conspirators built fake personas on dating websites and social media platforms to establish emotional connections with unsuspecting victims.
They lured targets using fabricated stories, including false claims of gold inheritances, to convince them to send money.
Victims were directed to wire funds into bank accounts controlled by Assimiou and others involved in the scheme.
He then kept a share of the proceeds for himself while using a portion of the stolen money to buy goods, which he shipped directly to his accomplices in Ghana.
Abdoul Issaka Assimiou's ties to Ghana-based fraudsters
Assimiou's connection with Ghana sits at the centre of the criminal case, which landed him his jail sentence.
Rather than operating as a lone actor, the convicted Parma-based man served as a critical link in a transnational fraud network, managing the financial pipeline between victims in the United States and co-conspirators abroad.
His role in purchasing and shipping products to Ghana suggests a well-organised arrangement designed to move both money and goods across borders while obscuring the trail of stolen funds.
In recent months, several notable Ghanaian socialites, including Dada Joe Remix, Abu Trica, Kofi Boat, Arrangement and Lancaster, have all been arrested and extradited to the US for trial by the FBI in connection with local law enforcement.
Assimiou's investigation by the FBI Cleveland Division and subsequent prosecution was in response to the Elder Justice Initiative Program originating from the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 (EAPPA).
The initiative was created to support and coordinate the Department of Justice’s enforcement efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, financial fraud, and scams that target the elderly population in the US.
The X post announcing the sentencing of Abdoul Issaka Assimiou is below:
Nigerian businessman Ashiru Idris jailed in Kano
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported the sentencing of 28-year-old Ashiru Idris, a Nigerian businessman who was imprisoned for seven years after promoting illicit substances for sale on social media.
The court's decision served as a stark reminder of the serious consequences for those who misuse digital platforms to engage in illegal activities.
Source: YEN.com.gh
