U.S. court documents have revealed sweeping allegations against Ohene Kwame Frimpong, the independent Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, accusing him of orchestrating bank fraud and money laundering through a network of bank accounts linked to romance scams that defrauded victims in the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating Frimpong in 2019, culminating in an 18-count indictment against the Ghanaian lawmaker, according to court documents emerging from the U.S. Department of Justice. The indictment alleges that from 2019, Frimpong, alongside co-conspirators identified as Shadrack Yaw Gyasi, Martin Misinu and others, defrauded multiple victims identified in court filings as Victims A through F. Prosecutors say the victims were targeted through romance scams, with some described as individuals who could potentially testify in court.
According to the indictment, on or about July 21, 2020, Frimpong opened a bank account at GLCU in the name of New Grace Restaurants, a Chicago restaurant he had inherited from his parents. Approximately a month later, on August 26, 2020, Frimpong allegedly caused Victim C to transfer $515,000 in fraudulent proceeds from a romance scam into the GLCU account, with the assistance of Gyasi.
The documents further allege that in August 2020, Frimpong and a co-conspirator identified as “FA” opened a bank account in the name of Grace Restaurants Ltd, described as a shell company in Illinois, for the purpose of receiving fraudulent proceeds. On December 4, 2020, Frimpong and Misinu allegedly caused Victim F to transfer $480,612 into that account. Five days later, Frimpong and FA allegedly travelled from outside the United States to Chicago. The following day, prosecutors allege, they caused transfers of $200,026.85 and $200,031.15 from the account to business bank accounts in China and India.
The indictment also details a series of transactions involving Victim C. In February 2021, Frimpong allegedly travelled from outside the U.S. to Chicago with a co-conspirator identified as “NF,” who opened a Chase Bank account in Chicago at Frimpong’s direction. Between February 25 and March 3, 2021, Frimpong and Gyasi allegedly caused Victim C to transfer a total of $500,000 into that account. Between March 7 and March 9, 2021, Frimpong allegedly caused NF to withdraw $30,000 in fraudulent proceeds, and on March 8, instructed NF to purchase various Apple products as gifts, including an iPhone for Gyasi. NF also allegedly spent $5,875.20 at Best Buy using a debit card linked to the account.
The MP and His Background
Frimpong, born September 23, 1986, is a Ghanaian entrepreneur and philanthropist who won the Asante Akyem North parliamentary seat as an independent candidate in the 2024 general elections, defeating the incumbent New Patriotic Party MP, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, with a resounding 26,926 votes to 8,933. A native of Agogo in the Ashanti Region, he completed his basic education at Cosmos Preparatory School in Lapaz, Accra, and later established Salt Media GH, among other business interests. He was sworn into Parliament on January 7, 2025, and joined the majority caucus. He gained national attention in February 2025 as the first MP to deliver a statement in Twi on the floor of Parliament.
Arrest in the Netherlands
Frimpong was detained on May 10, 2026, at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam by Dutch immigration authorities under a United States extradition request, as confirmed by Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. He was reportedly aboard a KLM flight from Accra when he was apprehended.
The arrest prompted immediate diplomatic engagement. Ghana’s Mission in The Hague activated its consular responsibilities, coordinating with the MP’s relatives, his lawyers and Dutch authorities. Minister Ablakwa personally visited Frimpong in detention on May 24, 2026, and met with his legal representative. The matter was also discussed during a visit by Dutch Minister for Justice and Security David Van Weel to Ghana in July 2026, with the Dutch government reaffirming its commitment to due process.
The Ghanaian government engaged a Netherlands-based lawyer to represent Frimpong, while Parliament confirmed it had initiated contact with Ghana’s diplomatic mission to obtain full details of the case. Lawyers for the MP filed a bail application in an Amsterdam court and signalled their intention to challenge the legality of his detention.
Frimpong Denies Allegations
Frimpong has categorically denied any involvement in romance scams. In his first public comments after his arrest, he stated that the only charge Interpol informed him of prior to his detention was money laundering, insisting that reports linking him to romance fraud were untrue. He also denied allegations linking him to $100 million and $35 million money laundering schemes.
“I have heard a lot of reports that I was involved in a $32 million money laundering scheme,” Frimpong said, dismissing the claims. He maintained that the information he received from authorities pointed only to money laundering allegations.
The allegations against Frimpong remain unproven in court. He has not been convicted of any charges, and the legal proceedings in both the Netherlands and the United States are ongoing. Ghana’s Parliament has stated that the public will be duly informed as the case develops.
