Derrick Van Yeboah faces 20 years in prison after scamming millions from heartbroken Americans to Ghana

A massive international fraud network that preyed on the desire for companionship has been dealt a major blow following a high profile guilty plea in a Manhattan federal court. Derrick Van Yeboah, a 40 year old Ghanaian national known as Van, admitted to his central role in a sophisticated criminal enterprise that stripped over $100 million from unsuspecting individuals and businesses across the United States.

The scheme operated with calculated cruelty by targeting vulnerable victims, many of them elderly, through fabricated online personas. These digital predators built deep emotional trust with their targets before manipulating them into wiring life savings under the guise of romantic necessity. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton highlighted the devastating nature of the crime, noting that Van Yeboah personally spearheaded romance scams that accounted for more than $10 million of the total illicit profit.

The investigation revealed that the stolen funds were systematically laundered back to West Africa. Beyond the emotional manipulation of individuals, the organization also utilized business email compromises to trick corporate entities into transferring vast sums of money into the conspiracy’s accounts.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As part of his plea agreement, he is required to pay over $10.1 million in restitution and forfeiture. While the charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison, his final sentence will be determined during a hearing scheduled for June 3, 2026. This successful prosecution was the result of an intensive collaboration between the FBI, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and Ghanaian authorities.