Ghanaian brothers and US woman admit guilt in $9 million scam

Twin brothers Jamal and Kamal Abubakari, 22, and 53‑year‑old Amanda Joy Opoku‑Boachie of Hawaii pleaded guilty on Thursday in an Ohio federal court to running an international romance‑scam network that stole roughly $9 million from victims in the United States and Europe. The plea agreement covers crimes committed between July 2024 and April 2026, and the trio faces up to 20 years in prison each, with sentencing slated for next year.

The guilty pleas come as U.S. law‑enforcement intensifies its crackdown on fraud rings that prey on elderly users of dating sites and social media. In recent months the FBI has dismantled a scam centre in Ghana and announced hundreds of related arrests. Earlier this month the agency’s director, Kash Patel, highlighted the surge in cross‑border schemes that exploit older adults, a demographic seen as especially vulnerable. The case also follows the June extradition of Ghanaian influencer Frederick Kumi, known as “Abu Trica,” to the United States on similar elder‑abuse fraud charges.

Prosecutors say the Abubakari brothers and Opoku‑Boachie created false online personas, befriended seniors, and then persuaded them to wire large sums into bank accounts in Ghana. Victims spanned 24 U.S. states, as well as Germany and Austria, and collectively lost $9 million, about £6.7 million. As part of the plea deal the defendants agreed to forfeit luxury jewellery seized by investigators, including watches, rings, chains and earrings. Their aliases – “Arrangement,” “Lancaster,” “Amanda Joy Glum,” and “Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman” – were used to mask their true identities and evade detection.

The upcoming sentencing will set a benchmark for how aggressively U.S. courts treat transnational romance scams. Authorities say the case sends a warning to other networks operating out of West Africa that target vulnerable seniors. Ongoing investigations continue to trace the flow of stolen funds and identify additional accomplices. The plea underscores a broader push to protect older adults from online fraud and to dismantle the financial pipelines that sustain these criminal enterprises.