# Two Ghanaian men plead guilty in $100M romance and BEC fraud case > By Hayley Birkin | Edited by Bill Alena | Published: 2026-10-30T09:11:53.352106+00:00 | Section: Regulation | Source: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/ghanaian-men-plead-guilty-100m-romance-bec-fraud | Publisher: Dating Industry Insights (High Intent Media Inc) Isaac Oduro Boateng and Inusah Ahmed pleaded guilty in New York to wire fraud conspiracy tied to a Ghana-based network that stole over $100M. ## Key points - Isaac Oduro Boateng and Inusah Ahmed each pleaded guilty in SDNY to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum of 20 years. - Boateng pleaded on 29 October 2026 and Ahmed on 27 October 2026 before Judge Arun Subramanian, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. - Boateng agreed to restitution and forfeiture of $12,529,213.98 and Ahmed to $28,574,002, against a network total prosecutors put above $100M. - Codefendant Derrick Van Yeboah was sentenced to 85 months; codefendant Patrick Kwame Asare remains at large, according to the SDNY release. ## Article - 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](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/eu-proposes-social-media-ban-children). - 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)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-chairmen-ghana-romance-scam-conspiracy-plead-guilty); [Ghanaian Nationals Extradited For Roles In Criminal Organization That Stole More Than $100 Million (U.S. Attorney's Office, SDNY)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghanaian-nationals-extradited-roles-criminal-organization-stole-more-100-million); [Ghanaian National Pleads Guilty To Stealing More Than $10 Million Via Romance Scams (U.S. Attorney's Office, SDNY)](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghanaian-national-pleads-guilty-stealing-more-10-million-romance-scams); [Romance scammers' favorite lies exposed (Federal Trade Commission)](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2023/02/romance-scammers-favorite-lies-exposed); ["Love Stinks" when a scammer is involved (Federal Trade Commission)](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/02/love-stinks-when-scammer-involved); [Kofi Boat and Pascal Plead Guilty in $100m US Romance Scam (YEN.com.gh)](https://yen.com.gh/people/314755-kofi-boat-pascal-plead-guilty-100m-romance-scam-pay-41m-restitution/) ## Key takeaways - The guilty pleas of Boateng and Ahmed attach about $41M in losses, DII's sum of DOJ figures, to a Ghana-based network prosecutors say stole more than $100M. - The SDNY release does not mention dating apps, but the FTC's 2022 data says 19% of romance scam victims who lost money were contacted on a website or app. - No sentencing date has been published for Boateng or Ahmed, and fugitive codefendant Patrick Kwame Asare keeps the case open. ## FAQ ### Who are Kofi Boat and Pascal? They are the aliases of Isaac Oduro Boateng (Kofi Boat) and Inusah Ahmed (Pascal), Ghanaian nationals who pleaded guilty in SDNY to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors call them chairmen of a Ghana-based fraud network. ### How much did the Ghana romance scam network steal? Prosecutors say the network stole and laundered more than $100M from dozens of victims through romance scams and business email compromise. Boateng is held responsible for about $12.5M and Ahmed for about $28.5M. ### What sentence do Boateng and Ahmed face? Each faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Arun Subramanian will set actual sentences, and no sentencing date has been published. --- Canonical: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/ghanaian-men-plead-guilty-100m-romance-bec-fraud Citation: "Dating Industry Insights" (https://www.datingindustryinsights.com)