New york: A court in the United States has sentenced a Ghanaian national, Derrick Van Yeboah, also known as Van, to over seven years (85 months) in prison for his involvement in an international criminal organization that defrauded victims of more than $100 million through romance scams and business email compromises.
According to Ghana Web, Van was a member of the notorious criminal syndicate known as 'The Enterprise' and was considered a leader within the group, holding the position of one of the 'Chairmen.' The sentencing was delivered by US District Judge Arun Subramanian on July 28, 2026, after Van pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York highlighted that the convict and his gang exploited individuals' loneliness, leading to financial losses exceeding $100 million. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated, "Romance scammers do not simply steal money-they weaponise trust. Van Yeboah and his co-conspirators exploited trust, loneliness, and legitimate business relationships to steal more than $100 million. Today's sentence reflects the seriousness of these calculated frauds and our commitment to pursuing international criminal organisations that target Americans."
The statement revealed that Van personally stole over $10 million from his victims through romance scams. In 2019 and 2020, Van impersonated fake romantic partners to manipulate an Ohio woman and a Delaware woman into transferring approximately $4.2 million to accounts linked to the conspiracy. Similarly, in 2024, he used a fake identity to deceive a North Carolina man into transferring around $123,000, claiming the funds were needed for a parent's funeral and to recover gold and diamonds from Italy.
In addition to his prison sentence, Van Yeboah, 41, of Ghana, was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $10,149,429.17 in forfeiture. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's diligent work was praised by Mr. Clayton. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs collaborated with Ghana's Office of the Attorney-General to facilitate Van's extradition to the United States on August 7, 2025. Significant assistance was also provided by Ghana's Economic and Organized Crime Office, the Ghana Police Service - INTERPOL, Ghana's Cyber Security Authority, and Ghana's National Intelligence Bureau.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mead and Mitzi Steiner leading the prosecution efforts.