Derrick Van Yeboah: Ghanaian Businessman Admits Role in $100m Romance Scam in US Court
- Derrick Van Yeboah, a 40-year-old Ghanaian businessman, has pleaded guilty in the US to his role in a large-scale online fraud
- Court documents showed that many victims were deceived into sending money under the belief they were in genuine online relationships
- Van Yeboah is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Arun Subramanian on June 3, 2026
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Derrick Van Yeboah, a 40-year-old Ghanaian businessman, has reportedly pleaded guilty in the US to his role in a large-scale online fraud that targeted victims through romance scams and business email compromise, resulting in the alleged theft of over $100 million.
A Facebook post by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday, March 6, 2026, indicated that Van Yeboah admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before Arun Subramanian, a judge at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Source: Facebook
"Derrick Van Yeboah, a Ghanaian national, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $10 million from victims through romance scams. He was a member of a criminal organisation based in Ghana that preyed on vulnerable older men and women and stole, in total, more than $100 million from dozens of victims. The conspirators also engaged in business email compromises to deceive businesses into sending wire transfers," the FBI wrote on Facebook.
According to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, the Ghanaian man was part of an international criminal network that defrauded victims across the US.
“Derrick Van Yeboah pled guilty today to a massive criminal scheme targeting elderly men and women in online romance scams,” Clayton said.
“Many New Yorkers search for companionship online, and no one deserves to have their vulnerability met with fraud and theft. Van Yeboah cruelly exploited those vulnerabilities for over $10 million in illicit profit," he added.
Read the FBI's Facebook post below:
Van Yeboah's modus operandi
Court documents indicate that the victims, many of whom were elderly, were made to believe they were in genuine relationships online with individuals who were actually using fake identities.
"Once members of the conspiracy had gained the trust of their victims, they deceived those victims into sending their money to the enterprise or into helping them launder funds from other victims," a publication on the website of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) read.
"The conspirators also committed business email compromises to trick and deceive businesses into wiring funds to the enterprise. In total, the conspiracy stole and laundered more than $100 million from dozens of victims. After stealing the money, the fraud proceeds were then laundered to West Africa," it added.
Van Yeboah, according to the DOJ publication, personally perpetrated many of the romance scams by impersonating fake romantic partners in communications with victims.
Under U.S. law, the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Van Yeboah has also agreed to pay restitution and forfeiture totaling $10,149,429.17.
The Ghanaian man is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Subramanian on June 3, 2026.
Source: Facebook
Ablakwa confirms extradition of Ghanaians to US
Previously, YEN.com.gh reported that the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had confirmed that some Ghanaians are facing extradition to the US due to their alleged role in a $100 million fraud scheme.
The confirmation followed reports that Ghana police and the FBI had arrested Ghanaian businessman Kofi Boat for his alleged involvement in a fraud scheme.
The Minister, however, did not narrow down to specifics on the exact date the said persons would be extradited.
Source: YEN.com.gh
