A Ghanaian national pleaded guilty to his role in a massive fraud ring that stole over $100 million from victims across the United States through business email compromise attacks and romance scams.
40-year-old Derrick Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Thursday and agreed to pay more than $10 million in restitution.
Van Yeboah was a high-ranking member of a large-scale fraud operation based in Ghana that targeted Americans between 2016 and May 2023. He was extradited to the U.S. in August 2025, with accomplices Isaac Oduro Boateng (also known as “Kofi Boat”), Inusah Ahmed (“Pascal”), and Patrick Kwame Asare (“Borgar”).
According to court documents, the scammers (who called themselves “game boys” or “sakawa boys”) deceived vulnerable older women and men across the U.S. who lived alone into believing they were in romantic relationships online and tricked them into depositing money into the bank accounts of U.S. middlemen after gaining their trust.
The U.S. accomplices would then launder the money, take their cut of the stolen funds, and send the rest to members of the criminal ring in West Africa, known as “chairmen,” who coordinated the fraudulent activities.
The criminals also tricked numerous businesses into wiring funds following business email compromise attacks that used spoofed email addresses impersonating the targets’ customers or employees.
Prosecutors said that Van Yeboah personally conducted many of the romance scams detailed in the indictment and linked him to more than $10 million in losses.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said.
“Today’s plea is a reminder to be vigilant online—especially on dating websites, never give money to someone you just met—and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Van Yeboah is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian on June 3 and is facing up to 20 years in prison.
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