A Ghanaian national, Derrick Van Yeboah, has been sentenced to 85 months in a United States federal prison for his involvement in a massive transnational cyber-fraud scheme that netted over £77 million ($100 million) from unsuspecting victims.
The 41-year-old, also known as “Van”, was handed the seven-year prison term by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
In addition to his custodial sentence, the court ordered him to forfeit over £7.7 million ($10.1 million) in restitution, matching the personal profits he admitted to extracting from his victims.
Van Yeboah’s sentencing follows his guilty plea in March 2026 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
He was extradited from Ghana to the United States in August 2025 alongside two co-conspirators, Isaac Oduro Boateng and Inusah Ahmed, following a joint international operation. A fourth suspect, Patrick Kwame Asare, remains at large.
The syndicate operated primarily out of Ghana, targeting vulnerable older Americans through fake online romantic relationships, alongside deploying business email compromise schemes against US firms.
According to US prosecutors, the network systematically built trust with victims before tricking them into transferring millions of pounds, which were subsequently laundered back to West Africa.
The high-profile prosecution stands as one of the largest cases targeting West African cyber fraud in recent history.
US authorities commended the cooperation of Ghanaian security agencies, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Ghana Police Service, the National Intelligence Bureau, and the Cyber Security Authority, for their vital role in apprehending and extraditing the syndicate members.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana