Derrick Van Yeboah: Ghanaian Fraudster Jailed 85 Months in US Over $100M Romance Scam
- A 41-year-old Ghanaian national, Derrick Van Yeboah, received an 85-month federal prison sentence in the United States
- Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of an international fraud syndicate
- Ghanaian authorities, including EOCO, the Ghana Police Service and the Cyber Security Authority cooperated in his extradition
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A 41-year-old Ghanaian national known as Derrick Van Yeboah has been handed an 85-month (over 7 years) federal prison sentence in the United States after being convicted for his part in an international fraud ring that siphoned more than $100 million from American victims.
Source: Facebook
Derrick Van Yeboah, who is also linked to Ghanaian businessman Kofi Boat, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian following a guilty plea entered on March 5, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Beyond the custodial term, the court ordered Van Yeboah to serve two years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence and to forfeit a staggering $10,149,429.17 in proceeds tied to the scheme.
The United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, confirmed his sentencing in a press release on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
How Van Yeboah's fraud syndicate operated
The criminal network Van Yeboah belonged to used two primary methods to defraud victims, particularly the elderly: romance scams, where operatives built false emotional relationships online before requesting money.
The syndicate also used business email compromise schemes, in which they impersonated company executives or suppliers to trick businesses into transferring funds to accounts they controlled.
The operation was extensive enough to generate over $100 million, which was laundered to Ghana.
According to the US Attorney's Office, Van Yeboah personally perpetrated many of the romance scams by impersonating fake romantic partners in communications with victims.
He reportedly 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 in 2019 and 2020.
Van Yeboah also assumed a fake identity to engage in a romance scam with a North Carolina man and deceived him into transferring approximately $123,000 to accounts belonging to his accomplices by claiming that he needed funds for both a parent’s funeral and to recover gold and diamonds from Italy in 2014.
The fraudster's and his alleged accomplice's activities drew the attention of American federal prosecutors who pursued Van Yeboah across international borders.
The alleged leader of the syndicate, Isaac Oduro Boateng, popularly known as Kofi Boat, is also expected to go on trial soon in the US after pleading not guilty to the charges he is currently facing.
Ghana-US cooperation led to his extradition
Van Yeboah was extradited from Ghana to the United States on August 7, 2025, following his arrest several months prior for the criminal activities.
Coordinated efforts between the U.S. Department of Justice and several Ghanaian agencies, including the Office of the Attorney-General, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Ghana Police Service–INTERPOL unit, the Cyber Security Authority, and the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), led to his extradition.
The case highlights the growing willingness of Ghanaian institutions to collaborate with foreign law enforcement on cybercrime and financial fraud prosecutions.
The Instagram post is below:
Dada Joe Remix pleads guilty in US
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported about Ghanaian socialite Dada Joe Remix, who pleaded guilty to multiple fraud-related charges in the United States.
As part of his plea agreement, he faces a significant restitution payment of $4.4 million and a potential prison term following a decade-long romance scam that preyed on vulnerable elderly victims across the nation.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
