Story Highlights
- Frederick Kumi, 31, of Swedru, also known as Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng and “Abu Trica,” was extradited from Ghana to the United States on July 9, 2026
- U.S. prosecutors allege Kumi and co-defendant Daniel Yussif led a network that used AI-generated video personas to defraud elderly Americans in romance scams since 2023
- More than 80 victims, largely widows and divorcees, allegedly lost over $8 million
- Assets seized include a Ghanaian mansion, a Lamborghini, a Tesla Cybertruck, and other luxury vehicles
- Kumi faces up to 20 years in prison on wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering charges
- Six Ghanaian state agencies, including EOCO and the Ghana Police Service, assisted U.S. authorities in the arrest and extradition
CLEVELAND — A 31-year-old Ghanaian national has been extradited from Ghana to the United States to face federal charges accusing him of orchestrating a romance fraud scheme that defrauded more than 80 elderly Americans of over $8 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced Tuesday.
Frederick Kumi, who also goes by the aliases Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng and “Abu Trica,” was arrested in Ghana on December 11, 2025, and extradited to the United States on July 9, 2026. He is originally from Swedru, in Ghana’s Central Region.
The allegations
According to court documents filed in the case, U.S. v. Kumi et al, Kumi and a co-defendant, Daniel Yussif — also known as “Denteni” or “Slab,” 31, of Accra — allegedly led a criminal network that ran romance fraud schemes targeting elderly U.S. citizens between April 2023 and November 2025.
Prosecutors allege the network used online dating platforms and social media to identify and approach victims, who were predominantly widows or divorcees.
Court records describe Kumi as having used AI-driven video platforms to interact with victims under fabricated female identities, while other members of the network allegedly used encrypted messaging apps and phone calls, drawing on contacts in Ghana, to sustain the false personas over time.
Victims were allegedly persuaded through fictitious stories — including claims involving gold or diamond inheritances — to wire money to bank accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy.
Prosecutors say portions of those funds were then routed to co-conspirators in Ghana and other locations, with money mules based in Ghana and contacts within the Ghanaian immigrant community in the U.S. allegedly used to launder the proceeds through shell businesses and bank accounts.
Seized assets
Law enforcement agencies seized a range of assets they allege were purchased with proceeds of the scheme, including a mansion in Ghana, a Lamborghini, a Tesla Cybertruck, a Mercedes-Benz, and a BMW.
Images released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office show an aerial view of the seized property and a row of luxury vehicles in a parking garage.
Kumi has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. His assets are also subject to forfeiture proceedings.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, though prosecutors noted that any final sentence would be determined by the court based on factors including prior criminal history and role in the offense, and would not exceed the statutory maximum.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that an indictment is an accusation, not evidence of guilt, and that Kumi is entitled to a trial in which the government bears the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Cross-border cooperation
The case is notable for the scale of institutional cooperation between American and Ghanaian authorities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office credited Ghana’s Attorney-General’s Office, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Ghana Police Service, the Cyber Security Authority, the Narcotics Control Commission, and the National Intelligence Bureau with assisting in securing Kumi’s arrest and extradition.
U.S. agencies involved included the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Sensitive Investigation Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Accra.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Cleveland Division and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Elliot Morrison.
Part of a wider federal push
The prosecution falls under the Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative, established under the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017, which coordinates federal efforts against fraud and financial exploitation targeting older adults.
It also arrives amid a broader federal anti-fraud push. In April 2026, the Justice Department announced the creation of a National Fraud Enforcement Division, which the department said would support the Trump administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud — a government-wide initiative chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance focused on curbing fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs.
Romance fraud schemes originating from West Africa, including Ghana, have drawn sustained attention from U.S. law enforcement in recent years, with cases frequently involving networks that combine online deception with cross-border money laundering structures.
The Kumi case adds to a string of related Ohio prosecutions; the Northern District of Ohio’s press office also announced on the same day the sentencing of a Parma, Ohio man for his role in a separate romance fraud conspiracy targeting elderly victims across Northern Ohio.
What remains unresolved
The Justice Department’s press release does not detail the current whereabouts or legal status of co-defendant Daniel Yussif, nor does it specify whether additional members of the alleged network — including those described as “money mules” or contacts within Ghana’s diaspora community in the U.S. — face separate charges.
It is also not yet clear whether Ghanaian authorities intend to pursue domestic proceedings against Kumi or others linked to the case beyond the extradition itself.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
