Omanghana
A Ghanaian national has been sentenced to 85 months in a United States federal prison for participating in an international criminal organization that stole and laundered more than $100 million through romance scams and business email compromise schemes.
Derrick Van Yeboah, 41, also known as “Van,” received the sentence on July 28, 2026, from U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in the Southern District of New York.
Yeboah pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the criminal network was primarily based in Ghana and targeted individuals and businesses across the United States.
Many of the romance scam victims were vulnerable older men and women who believed they were communicating with genuine romantic partners. Members of the organization used fabricated identities to build emotional relationships with victims before persuading them to transfer money.
Some victims were also manipulated into receiving and moving funds stolen from others, effectively becoming unwitting participants in the syndicate’s money-laundering operations.
The group separately carried out business email compromise schemes by impersonating trusted individuals or organizations and deceiving companies into transferring money to accounts controlled by the network.
Prosecutors said the stolen funds were subsequently laundered and transferred to West Africa.
Yeboah personally assumed false identities and communicated directly with several victims. Between 2019 and 2020, he reportedly deceived women in Ohio and Delaware into transferring approximately $4.2 million to accounts associated with the criminal organization.
In 2024, he used another false identity to target a man in North Carolina. Prosecutors said Yeboah persuaded the victim to transfer about $123,000 by falsely claiming that he needed money for a parent’s funeral and to recover gold and diamonds from Italy.
The court held Yeboah responsible for $10,149,429.17 stolen from victims through his romance scams.
In addition to the 85-month prison sentence, he was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and forfeit $10,149,429.17.
Yeboah was extradited from Ghana to the United States on August 7, 2025, following cooperation between authorities in both countries.
The U.S. Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the International Cooperation Unit of Ghana’s Office of the Attorney-General to secure the extradition.
Ghana’s Economic and Organized Crime Office, Ghana Police Service–INTERPOL, Cyber Security Authority and National Intelligence Bureau also assisted with the operation.
United States Attorney Jay Clayton said the schemes caused damage extending beyond the victims’ financial losses.
“Romance scammers do not simply steal money—they weaponize trust,” Clayton said, adding that the sentence reflected the seriousness of the calculated fraud and the government’s commitment to pursuing international criminal organizations targeting Americans.
The case was prosecuted by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Full details are available in the official U.S. Department of Justice sentencing statement.
Source: Omanghana
