Three Ghanaians Extradited to U.S. Over $100 Million Cyber Fraud Scheme

Three Ghanaian nationals have been handed over to U.S. authorities to face charges linked to a sprawling cyber fraud operation said to have stolen more than $100 million from victims worldwide. The suspects  Isaac Oduro Boateng, also known as Kofi Boat; Inusah Ahmed, nicknamed Pascal; and Derrick van Yeboah, called Van, were extradited from Ghana and appeared before a U.S. federal court in Manhattan on August 7, 2025. A fourth man, Patrick Kwame Asare, also known as Borgar, remains at large but has been indicted in the same case.

U.S. prosecutors allege the men were part of a sophisticated criminal organisation that operated from West Africa, targeting both individuals and companies through elaborate online scams. According to court documents, the group relied on romance fraud, where suspects posed as potential romantic partners to earn the trust of victims, many of them elderly, and business email compromise schemes to trick companies into wiring large sums of money to fraudulent accounts.

Investigators claim the illicit proceeds were funneled through multiple bank accounts before being laundered back to Ghana and neighbouring countries. Prosecutors say Boateng and Ahmed acted as “chairmen” overseeing the syndicate’s operations, while Yeboah facilitated communications and coordinated transactions.

The extradited suspects face multiple counts, including wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to receive stolen funds, and receipt of stolen money. Each wire fraud-related charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, with additional penalties possible for other counts. Authorities say the trial will be held in the Southern District of New York, led by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.

The extraditions were the result of extensive collaboration between U.S. law enforcement agencies and Ghanaian authorities, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office, INTERPOL’s Ghana bureau, the Cyber Security Authority, and the National Intelligence Bureau. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the legal transfer.

With three suspects now in U.S. custody, prosecutors are expected to begin presenting evidence in the coming weeks. The search for the fourth defendant, Patrick Asare, continues, with officials urging anyone with information to contact law enforcement. If convicted, the defendants could face decades behind bars for what prosecutors have described as one of the most significant cyber fraud cases involving West African suspects in recent years.