Nana Takyiwa Adonu: Maryland-Based Ghanaian Woman Jailed Over 6 Years for $1.6M Romance Scam in US
- A US-based Ghanaian national, Nana Takyiwa Adonu, received a federal prison sentence of more than six years for her role in a romance scam
- The 43-year-old was convicted of helping defraud American victims of over $1.6 million through fake dating profiles on social media
- The US Department of Justice announced the sentencing on Thursday, July 30, 2026, detailing the scale of the fraud operation
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A US-based Ghanaian woman, Nana Takyiwa Adonu, has been handed a federal prison sentence of more than six years after a court found her guilty of orchestrating a romance scam that cost American victims over $1.6 million.
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The US Department of Justice announced in a press release on Thursday, July 30, 2026, that Nana Takyiwa Adonu, 43, had been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for her central role in the elaborate fraud scheme.
How Nana Takyiwaa Adonu's romance scam operated
According to the US Justice Department, Adonu and her co-conspirators constructed fictitious dating profiles across social media platforms and systematically used them to target and deceive US citizens.
Victims were drawn in through these fake personas before being manipulated into handing over money as part of the deception.
The scheme yielded more than $1.6 million in fraudulent proceeds from unsuspecting Americans who believed they were engaged in genuine romantic relationships.
Adonu operated “Han-Dak LLC", a company that she used to receive money from victims of the romance scam, including over $55,000 from a victim living in the Southern District of Iowa.
The victims sent money to a Ghanaian national at the request of their purported romantic partners, believing it would be used to facilitate their union, among other things.
Many of Adonu's victims withdrew all their money from their retirement accounts, sold their homes and vehicles, returned to work after retirement, and borrowed substantial sums from friends and family.
When confronted by FBI officers, the US-based Ghanaian woman claimed Han-Dak LLC was a legitimate garment production company that produced clothes in China.
Adonu subsequently produced false invoices, “customer” and “vendor” lists, and other documentation in response to a federal grand jury subpoena in an attempt to further obstruct the investigation.
Aside from her 70-month (over six years) sentence, she has also been ordered to pay $1,655,640.76 in restitution.
Adonu will serve a three-year term of supervised release after completing her prison term.
Her co-defendant, Naabanyin Aniagyei-Cobbold, was sentenced to 108 months in prison and a three-year term of supervised release in March 2026
He was also ordered to pay $1,554,442.46 in restitution.
Adonu's sentencing marks a notable outcome in the US government's continued efforts to prosecute individuals, including Ghanaians involved in international romance fraud networks in recent months.
The Instagram post detailing the conviction of Nana Takyiwaa Adonu is below:
Ghanaian fraudster Derrick Van Yeboah convicted
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Derrick Van Yeboah, a 41-year-old Ghanaian national, was sentenced to 85 months in federal prison in the United States for his role in an international fraud syndicate that exploited victims through romance scams.
The operation perpetrated by the Ghanaian businessman's network resulted in a staggering loss of over $100 million, affecting countless individuals who were lured into emotional traps.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
