Two Ghanaians, Kofi Boat and Pascal, face up to 20 years in US over $100m romance fraud scheme

Two Ghanaian nationals have pleaded guilty to their roles in an international cybercrime syndicate that defrauded victims across the United States of more than $100 million through romance scams and business email compromise schemes. Isaac Oduro Boateng, popularly known as “Kofi Boat”, 37, and Inusah Ahmed, also known as “Pascal”, 41, were described by US prosecutors as “chairmen” of the criminal organisation, which was primarily based in Ghana. The two entered guilty pleas before US District Judge Arun Subramanian in the Southern District of New York. Boateng pleaded guilty on Thursday, October 29, 2026, while Ahmed entered his plea on October 27. Both admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, an offence punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

“These guilty pleas demonstrate that geographic borders will not shield those who exploit Americans from facing justice in our courts,” US Attorney Jamie McDonald said. “Isaac Oduro Boateng and Inusah Ahmed helped supervise an international criminal organisation that preyed on vulnerable Americans, exploiting their search for companionship and turning their trust into a means of stealing millions. Together with their coconspirators, they orchestrated a massive fraud that stole more than $100 million from victims across the country. ” How the fraud scheme operated According to the indictment and public court filings, Boateng and Ahmed were members of a criminal organisation that targeted individuals and businesses across the United States through romance scams and business email compromise schemes. Many of the victims were vulnerable older men and women who were deceived into believing they were in online romantic relationships with people using fake identities created by members of the syndicate. After gaining…