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Ghanaian Man Samuel Opoku Arrested in US Over $60,000 Church Scam

Published 22 Oct 2026 at 11:53 AM

by Jeffrey Owusu-Mensah

3 min read

Samuel Opoku, a Ghanaian national, was arrested in the United States alongside a second suspect over an alleged email fraud scheme
Investigators from the Troup County Sheriff's Office launched the probe in 2025 after a local church reported losing more than US$60,000
The two men allegedly intercepted church communications and redirected funds into accounts they controlled

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A Ghanaian national, Samuel Opoku, is in custody in the United States after authorities linked him to an email fraud scheme that stripped a local church of over US$60,000.

email fraud, church email scam, Samuel Opoku, Ghanaian national arrested in US, church loses $60,000, Troup County Sheriff's Office, business email compromise, Ousmane Gassama Diaby, money laundering charges, email account manipulation — Ousmane Diaby was arrested with Ghanaian man, Samuel Opoku, over a $60,000 church scam. Photo source: Fox 5 Atlanta
Source: UGC

Opoku was arrested alongside Ousmane Gassama Diaby, who is based in Arlington, Virginia. The two men face several criminal charges tied to the alleged scam, which targeted a church through what investigators describe as a sophisticated manipulation of email communications.

How the alleged scheme unfolded

Investigators from the Troup County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division opened the case in 2025 after the church filed a complaint reporting the significant financial loss. Months of tracing the money eventually led detectives to both suspects.

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Opoku was arrested first, and a warrant was subsequently issued for Diaby. According to a FOX 5 Atlanta report published on 19 October 2026, Diaby had been in Ghana for several months while authorities sought him.

Officers eventually travelled to New Jersey to arrest him shortly after he arrived back in the country in October 2026.

Lt. Stewart Smith of the Troup County Sheriff's Office explained the mechanics of the alleged fraud.

"They were manipulating emails, manipulating accounts where this church had a relationship with a previous organisation, and the church legitimately thought they were sending funds to this legitimate organisation," he said.

He added that the suspects took the operation further by controlling where the money landed.

"What these two individuals were doing, they were creating other accounts and the money was being deposited in there and they were able to take that and actually make cash transactions from ATMs," Lt Smith said.

Charges faced by both suspects

Diaby faces multiple felony charges, including five counts of identity theft, money laundering, theft by taking, and initiating deceptive commercial emails. Opoku faces similar charges in connection with the same scheme.

The case highlights how organised email fraud can be used to exploit the trust between a church and its partner organisations, with victims unaware that the accounts receiving their transfers had been swapped out by bad actors.

Nigerian man jailed in US over $15m fraud

YEN.com.gh also highlighted facts about Nigerian national Chukwuemeka Amachukwu, who was sentenced to eight years in a US federal prison over fraud, hacking and identity theft schemes that caused more than $15 million in losses.

The schemes included hacking tax preparation businesses, stealing the personal information of hundreds of customers and seeking millions in fraudulent refunds. Amachukwu was also accused of selling victims investments that did not exist, while posing as a wealthy overseas financier.