Derrick Van Yeboah, a Ghanaian national, was sentenced on July 28 to 85 months in prison for his role in an international criminal organization that stole more than $100 million from victims through romance scams and business email compromises. Van Yeboah pleaded guilty on March 5 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who imposed the sentence.
“Romance scammers do not simply steal money—they weaponize trust,” said United States Attorney Jay Clayton. “Van Yeboah and his co-conspirators exploited trust, loneliness, and legitimate business relationships to steal more than $100 million. Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of these calculated frauds and our commitment to pursuing international criminal organizations that target Americans.”
According to charging documents and statements made in public filings and court proceedings, Van Yeboah was part of a Ghana-based criminal organization that committed romance scams and business email compromises against individuals and businesses across the United States. Many victims were vulnerable older men and women deceived into believing they were in online romantic relationships with fake identities assumed by members of the conspiracy. Once trust was established, victims were convinced either to send money or assist in laundering funds from other victims.
The conspirators also engaged in business email compromise schemes targeting companies by tricking them into wiring funds to accounts controlled by the enterprise. The total amount stolen exceeded $100 million from dozens of victims, with proceeds laundered back to West Africa.
Van Yeboah personally conducted many romance scams by impersonating fake romantic partners during communications with victims. In 2019 and 2020, he used false identities with an Ohio woman and a Delaware woman, inducing them to transfer approximately $4.2 million combined into accounts controlled by the conspiracy. In another case from 2024, he convinced a North Carolina man through similar means to transfer about $123,000 under false pretenses involving funeral expenses and recovering gold and diamonds from Italy.
In addition to his prison term, Van Yeboah received two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay over $10 million in forfeiture. Clayton praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s work, as well as cooperation between U.S. and Ghanaian authorities—including extradition efforts—to bring Van Yeboah before justice.