• Isaac Oduro Boateng (37) and Inusah Ahmed (41) each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, maximum 20 years.
  • Boateng agreed to $12,529,213.98 in restitution and forfeiture; Ahmed agreed to $28,574,002.
  • Prosecutors say the Ghana-based network stole and laundered more than $100M from dozens of victims.
  • No sentencing date appears in the US Attorney's release.

Two Ghanaian nationals described by prosecutors as "chairmen" of a Ghana-based fraud network have pleaded guilty in federal court in New York, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on 29 October 2026. Isaac Oduro Boateng, known as "Kofi Boat", pleaded that day and Inusah Ahmed, known as "Pascal", on 27 October, both before Judge Arun Subramanian.

The release does not mention dating apps or platforms, so the dating link is indirect. It matters anyway: the case describes romance fraud aimed at vulnerable older men and women, the abuse that trust and safety teams are paid to stop.

The DII Take

This is a real enforcement result, and extradition from Ghana to conviction in just over a year is not nothing. But set the numbers side by side. The two pleas attach about $41M in losses (DII's sum of the two DOJ figures) to a network prosecutors put at more than $100M. Operators should read it as proof the crime is chased, not that it is shrinking.

What the pleas cover

Each man pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Boateng is held responsible for roughly $12.5M in victim loss and Ahmed for roughly $28.5M. The judge will determine actual sentences.

According to the indictment and public court filings cited in the release, many victims were vulnerable older men and women who believed they were in online relationships with fake identities. The group also used business email compromise to induce companies to wire funds, with proceeds laundered to West Africa.

Codefendant Derrick Van Yeboah was previously sentenced to 85 months. Patrick Kwame Asare remains at large. Boateng, Ahmed and Van Yeboah were extradited on 7 August 2025.

Each man pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

What to watch

Sentencing dates have not been announced, according to YEN.com.gh, and the release gives none. Asare's status is the open end of the case.

For platforms, the FTC's 2022 data is the useful reference: 40% of people who lost money to romance scams said contact began on social media and 19% on a website or app. Regulators are also pressing operators on age checks, as DII covered in the EU's Kids Act.

  • Boateng and Ahmed's pleas cover roughly $41M of a network that prosecutors say stole more than $100M, so convictions remain well short of full accountability.
  • The FTC reported $1.14B in romance scam losses for 2023, giving platforms a scale benchmark beyond this single prosecution.
  • Watch for sentencing dates and any movement on fugitive codefendant Patrick Kwame Asare.

Sources: Two "Chairmen" Of Ghana Romance Scam Conspiracy Plead Guilty, Press Release 26-307 (U.S. Attorney's Office, SDNY); Ghanaian Nationals Extradited For Roles In Criminal Organization That Stole More Than $100 Million (U.S. Attorney's Office, SDNY); Ghanaian National Pleads Guilty To Stealing More Than $10 Million Via Romance Scams (U.S. Attorney's Office, SDNY); Romance scammers' favorite lies exposed (Federal Trade Commission); "Love Stinks" when a scammer is involved (Federal Trade Commission); Kofi Boat and Pascal Plead Guilty in $100m US Romance Scam (YEN.com.gh)