In a major cross-border operation, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have announced the extradition of three Ghanaian nationals accused of playing leading roles in a $100 million international fraud syndicate.
The accused — Isaac Oduro Boateng (also known as Kofi Boat), Inusah Ahmed (Pascal), and Derrick Van Yeboah (Van) — were flown to New York on August 7, 2025, and are set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger. A fourth suspect, Patrick Kwame Asare (Borgar), remains at large.
According to the U.S. indictment, the four men were senior members of a Ghana-based criminal enterprise engaged in romance scams targeting vulnerable elderly Americans and business email compromise schemes that tricked companies into wiring large sums of money. Once the funds were stolen, they were laundered through West Africa to “chairmen” — top-level coordinators within the network. Both Boateng and Ahmed are described as such chairmen.
Victims of the romance scam were deceived into believing they were in genuine online relationships, only to be manipulated into sending money or helping move stolen funds. Businesses were targeted through hacked or spoofed email accounts that redirected corporate payments to the syndicate’s accounts. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges the network stole and laundered over $100 million from dozens of victims.
The suspects each face charges of:
- Wire fraud conspiracy (max 20 years)
- Wire fraud (max 20 years)
- Money laundering conspiracy (max 20 years)
- Conspiracy to receive stolen money (max 5 years)
- Receipt of stolen money (max 10 years)
If convicted on all counts, they could face decades in U.S. federal prison.
The extradition was the result of close collaboration between the U.S. Department of Justice and Ghanaian authorities, including the Office of the Attorney-General, Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), Ghana Police Service – INTERPOL, Cyber Security Authority, and National Intelligence Bureau.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton commended Ghana’s cooperation, warning that “offshore scammers should know” international law enforcement will track them down. FBI Assistant Director Christopher G. Raia described the alleged crimes as “appalling” and pledged continued efforts to hold cybercriminals accountable.
The case is being handled by the U.S. Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
