Twin brothers from Ghana and an American woman pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a cross-border scam that saw victims lose over $9 million.
The defendants targeted elderly Americans via online dating sites and social media. They used fake personas to build personal relationships with victims to persuade them to send payments.
According to court documents in the United States, the scam took place between around July 2024 and April 2026 and targeted victims across 25 states in the United States, Germany and Austria.
Victims in northern Ohio included those from Edgerton, Williams County.
Jamal Abubakari (Jamal Abubakar) (Arrangement) and his twin brother Kamal Abubakari (Kamal Abubakar) (Lancaster), aged 22.
They pleaded guilty on 13 October 2026, with Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie (Amanda Joy Glum) (Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman), aged 53 from Kula, Hawaii also pleaded guilty on 20 October.
The defendants conspired with others to devise fake personas to build close relationships with victims, often posing as love interests, court documents allege.
Once they had gained victims’ confidence through their fake tales they encouraged them to send payments into financial accounts controlled by the conspirators. Some payments were then sent to other co-conspirators in Ghana.
As part of their guilty pleas all three admitted to forfeiting jewellery and other items recovered during their arrests. These included luxury watches, rings, chains, pendants and earrings.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Cleveland Division with support from the United States Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
The probe received support from several agencies in the United States and Ghana including Ghana’s Attorney General’s Office, Economic and Organised Crime Office, Ghana Police Service and Cyber Security Authority.
Other agencies include the Financial Intelligence Centre, Immigration Service and National Intelligence Bureau in Ghana along with United States law enforcement and diplomatic agencies.
All three face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison but will receive their final sentences from a federal district court judge, based upon United States sentencing guidelines and other factors.
The Abubakari brothers will receive their sentences on 9 February 2027, whilst Opoku-Boachie will be sentenced on 10 February 2027.
The prosecution falls under the United States Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative. This initiative works to bring together groups to combat elderly abuse, financial fraud and scams.
