A 40-year-old Ghanaian national, Derrick Van Yeboah, has pleaded guilty in the United States to his role in an international criminal network that defrauded victims of more than $100 million through romance scams and business email compromise schemes.

Van Yeboah, also known as “Van”, entered the guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in the Southern District of New York.

According to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York on March 5, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, said the defendant exploited vulnerable individuals seeking companionship online.

“Derrick Van Yeboah pleaded guilty today to a massive criminal scheme targeting elderly men and women in online romance scams,” Clayton said.

“Many New Yorkers search for companionship online, and no one deserves to have their vulnerability met with fraud and theft. Van Yeboah cruelly exploited those vulnerabilities for over $10 million in illicit profit.”

Prosecutors said Van Yeboah was part of a criminal organisation primarily based in Ghana that carried out romance scams and business email compromise fraud against individuals and companies across the United States.

Investigators said the group used fake online identities to deceive victims, many of whom were older men and women, into believing they were in genuine romantic relationships.

Once trust was established, the victims were persuaded to send money to the fraudsters or assist in laundering funds obtained from other victims. The group also used business email compromise tactics to trick companies into wiring funds to accounts controlled by the conspirators.

Authorities said the network stole and laundered more than $100 million from dozens of victims, with the proceeds eventually transferred to West Africa.

Court documents indicated that Van Yeboah personally carried out several of the romance scams by posing as fake romantic partners in communications with victims. He is being held responsible for more than $10 million obtained through the fraudulent scheme.

Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He also agreed to pay restitution and forfeiture totalling $10,149,429.17.

The U.S. Department of Justice said the case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from authorities in Ghana and the department’s Office of International Affairs. (Vanguard)