Federal prosecutors in New York have charged four Ghanaian nationals with running a decade-long online fraud operation that stole more than $100 million from Americans and U.S. businesses.

The accused — Isaac Oduro Boateng (“Kofi Boat”), Inusah Ahmed (“Pascal”), Derrick Van Yeboah (“Van”), and Patrick Kwame Asare (“Borgar”) — allegedly masterminded romance scams targeting elderly victims and business email compromise schemes that tricked companies into wiring large sums.

Investigators say the group, operating under the Ghanaian term “sakawa” for internet fraud, used fake romantic personas to build trust before asking victims for money.

They also created near-identical email addresses to impersonate company contacts, forging documents to make fraudulent payments look legitimate.

The stolen money was funneled through shell companies in the U.S. before being sent to West Africa, where Boateng and Ahmed allegedly acted as “chairmen” overseeing the network. Van Yeboah and Asare are accused of helping run the scams, with Van Yeboah personally engaging in romance fraud.

Following a joint U.S.–Ghana investigation, Boateng, Ahmed, and Van Yeboah were extradited to the United States on August 7, 2025, and appeared in court the next day. Asare remains at large.

The defendants face charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and receipt of stolen funds, with possible prison sentences of five to 20 years per count.

Authorities have vowed to seize assets linked to the scheme and return funds to victims.