Ghanaian national Derrick Van Yeboah, popularly known as “Van,” has been sentenced to 85 months in a United States federal prison for his involvement in a sophisticated international fraud operation that targeted vulnerable individuals and businesses.
The 41-year-old received the sentence on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, from U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in the Southern District of New York. Van Yeboah had earlier pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to American prosecutors, Van Yeboah belonged to a Ghana-based criminal network accused of stealing and laundering more than $100 million through online romance scams and business email compromise schemes.
Members of the organization allegedly created false identities and developed online relationships with victims, many of whom were elderly men and women searching for companionship. After earning their trust, the scammers reportedly convinced the victims to transfer huge sums of money or unknowingly assist in moving stolen funds.
Prosecutors said Van Yeboah personally used fake romantic identities to defraud several victims. Two women from Ohio and Delaware were allegedly persuaded to transfer approximately $4.2 million between 2019 and 2020.
In another case, a North Carolina man reportedly lost about $123,000 after being told that money was urgently needed for a funeral and to retrieve gold and diamonds from Italy. Authorities held Van Yeboah responsible for more than $10 million in losses connected to his activities.
Beyond the 85-month prison term, the court sentenced him to two years of supervised release and ordered the forfeiture of $10,149,429.17.
Van Yeboah was extradited from Ghana to the United States on August 7, 2025, following cooperation between American authorities and several Ghanaian institutions, including the Attorney-General’s Office, EOCO, the Ghana Police Service–INTERPOL, the Cyber Security Authority and the National Intelligence Bureau.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton described romance scams as calculated crimes that exploit trust and loneliness, stressing that authorities would continue pursuing international organizations targeting American victims.
The sentence marks another major development in the United States’ growing crackdown on cross-border cybercrime and online financial fraud.
