Two Leaders of $100 Million Romance and Email Fraud Network Plead Guilty in Federal Court

NEW YORK, October 29, 2026 — Two men described by federal prosecutors as senior organizers of an international fraud network have pleaded guilty in Manhattan, a major development in a case involving more than $100 million stolen through online romance scams and fraudulent business-payment requests.

Isaac Oduro Boateng, 37, also known as Kofi Boat, entered his guilty plea Thursday, October 29. Inusah Ahmed, 41, known as Pascal, pleaded guilty Tuesday, October 27. Both admitted one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, according to a statement issued Thursday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

The $100 million figure describes losses attributed by prosecutors to the broader criminal organization. It does not mean that each of these two defendants personally received or controlled that entire amount. Court proceedings will determine their individual sentences.

HOW THE SCHEMES WORKED

Prosecutors say the Ghana-based network targeted individuals and businesses across the United States. In one operation, participants allegedly created false online identities, established seemingly intimate relationships with people looking for companionship, and then persuaded them to send money. Many victims were older adults, according to the Justice Department.

The same enterprise also used business email compromise, a different kind of deception in which criminals impersonate or take over trusted business communications to redirect legitimate payments. A company expecting an ordinary invoice can be tricked into wiring funds to an account controlled by fraudsters if a payment-change request is not independently verified.

Federal authorities say money collected through these operations was moved through intermediaries and ultimately laundered to West Africa. Prosecutors identified Boateng and Ahmed as 'chairmen' who helped manage and supervise the operation. That description comes from the government's case, while the guilty pleas establish their admitted participation in the wire-fraud conspiracy.

RESTITUTION AND POTENTIAL PRISON TERMS

As part of his plea, Boateng agreed to restitution and forfeiture of $12,529,213.98. Ahmed agreed to restitution and forfeiture of $28,574,002. The two amounts total approximately $41.1 million, but these court obligations should not be confused with the network's overall estimated losses of more than $100 million.

Each defendant faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison on the conspiracy count. That is a maximum, not an announced sentence. Judge Subramanian will decide the actual punishment after considering the applicable sentencing rules and the circumstances of each defendant.

Another defendant, Derrick Van Yeboah, previously received an 85-month prison sentence in the same case. Prosecutors said Patrick Kwame Asare, another charged participant, remained at large as of their October 29 announcement. Boateng and Ahmed were extradited from Ghana to the United States in August 2025 following cooperation between American and Ghanaian authorities.

WHY THIS MATTERS BEYOND THE COURTROOM

Romance fraud can cause more than a financial loss. Victims may have spent months or years believing they had built a genuine personal relationship. Businesses hit by fake payment instructions can lose money intended for suppliers, workers or customers. The case illustrates how a single cross-border operation can use both emotional manipulation and weaknesses in ordinary financial workflows.

The Federal Trade Commission warns people not to send money, gift cards or cryptocurrency to an online romantic interest they have never met in person. It also recommends checking profile photographs for signs of impersonation, discussing suspicious requests with someone trusted and reporting suspected scams.

For businesses, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center advises independently verifying any unexpected change in bank details or payment instructions, ideally by calling a previously known telephone number rather than one supplied in the questionable email. If a transfer has already occurred, the agency urges contacting the bank immediately and reporting the incident to IC3.

SEPARATE FROM ANOTHER $9 MILLION ROMANCE-FRAUD CASE

This New York prosecution is distinct from a separate Ohio case involving Ghanaian twins and a Hawaii woman whose guilty pleas were announced earlier in the week in connection with more than $9 million in losses. The names, defendants, court districts and figures should not be combined or treated as one criminal case.

SOURCES AND IMAGE CREDIT

Primary source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, October 29, 2026 — https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-chairmen-ghana-romance-scam-conspiracy-plead-guilty

Independent corroboration: YEN.com.gh, October 29, 2026, reporting on the guilty pleas and restitution obligations — https://yen.com.gh/people/314755-kofi-boat-pascal-plead-guilty-100m-romance-scam-pay-41m-restitution/

Consumer guidance: Federal Trade Commission, What To Know About Romance Scams — https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams

Business guidance: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, Business Email Compromise — https://www.ic3.gov/CrimeInfo/BEC

Featured image: FlyD / Unsplash, 'Padlock on laptop with light trails,' used under the Unsplash License. Illustrative archival photograph; it does not show these defendants, victims or the actual investigation. https://unsplash.com/photos/padlock-on-laptop-with-light-trails-C5pXRFEjq3w