A man faces up to 20 years in prison after admitting role in romance scams and business email compromises that targeted vulnerable victims across America
A Ghanaian national has admitted his role in an international cyber fraud network that stole more than $100 million from victims through romance scams and business email compromise schemes, United States prosecutors have announced.
Derrick Van Yeboah, 40, also known as “Van”, pleaded guilty on Thursday before Judge Arun Subramanian at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the US Attorney’s Office confirmed in a statement.
The defendant admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, an offence carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. He has also agreed to pay restitution and forfeiture totalling $10,149,429.17 – the proceeds directly attributed to his personal involvement in the scheme.
US Attorney Jay Clayton said the operation preyed on individuals seeking companionship online, with elderly men and women among the primary targets.
“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.”
According to court documents, the fraud network operated extensively from Ghana and relied on carefully fabricated romantic relationships to lure victims into transferring money. Members of the syndicate posed as genuine romantic partners online, spending weeks or months building trust before requesting financial assistance under false pretences.
Once victims were persuaded to send money, the funds were routed through a sophisticated network of accounts before being laundered and transferred to West Africa.
Prosecutors said the criminal enterprise also executed business email compromise schemes, tricking companies into wiring substantial sums to accounts controlled by the syndicate.
In total, authorities believe the organisation stole and laundered more than $100 million from dozens of victims across the United States.
Van Yeboah personally conducted several of the romance scams by communicating directly with victims while impersonating fictitious romantic partners, prosecutors said.
The investigation was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from authorities in Ghana and the United States Department of Justice Office of International Affairs. The case is being handled by prosecutors from the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the US Attorney’s Office.
Judge Subramanian is scheduled to sentence Van Yeboah on June 3, 2026.
