…’Kofi Boat’ and Accomplice Plead Guilty in $100 million US Fraud Empire
Two Ghanaians described by United States prosecutors as ‘chairmen’ of an international fraud syndicate have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a case involving more than US$100 million stolen from victims across the United States.
Isaac Oduro Boateng, 37, popularly known as “Kofi Boat,” and Inusah Ahmed, 41, also known as “Pascal,” admitted their roles in the conspiracy before a United States federal court, according to an October 29, 2026 statement issued by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Boateng entered his guilty plea on October 29, while Ahmed pleaded guilty on October 27, 2026, before US District Judge Arun Subramanian.
The two men were identified in court filings as senior members of a criminal organisation operating primarily from Ghana, which prosecutors said orchestrated romance scams and business email compromise schemes targeting individuals and businesses across the United States.
According to the prosecution, the syndicate stole and laundered more than US$100 million from dozens of victims before transferring the proceeds to West Africa.
Boateng has agreed to pay restitution and forfeiture of US$12,529,213.98, while Ahmed has agreed to pay US$28,574,002 in restitution and forfeiture, reflecting the respective amounts attributed to them in victim losses.
Each man pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, an offence carrying a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Their actual sentences will be determined by the court.
According to the indictment and public court filings, the organisation preyed on vulnerable victims, including older men and women who were deceived into believing they were involved in genuine online romantic relationships.
Prosecutors said members of the syndicate operated through fabricated identities, gradually building trust with their targets before persuading them to send money under false pretences.
In some cases, victims were allegedly manipulated into helping to transfer or launder money obtained from other victims, further expanding the reach of the criminal operation.
The syndicate also used business email compromise schemes to defraud companies. Such schemes typically involve the manipulation or impersonation of legitimate business email accounts to deceive organisations into transferring funds to accounts controlled by fraudsters.
The proceeds from the various schemes were subsequently laundered and transferred to West Africa, prosecutors said.
US Attorney Jamie McDonald said the guilty pleas demonstrated that international borders would not protect people involved in fraud targeting Americans from prosecution in the United States.
“These guilty pleas demonstrate that geographic borders will not shield those who exploit Americans from facing justice in our courts,” McDonald said.
He described Boateng and Ahmed as having helped supervise an international criminal organisation that exploited people seeking companionship and turned their trust into a means of stealing millions of dollars.
“Together with their co-conspirators, they orchestrated a massive fraud that stole more than $100 million from victims across the country,” he said.
The prosecution has attributed approximately US$12.5 million in victim losses to Boateng and US$28.5 million to Ahmed.
Under their respective plea agreements, Boateng accepted restitution and forfeiture obligations of US$12,529,213.98, while Ahmed agreed to pay US$28,574,002 under the same categories.
The amounts represent a substantial portion of the losses associated with the wider conspiracy, which prosecutors said involved numerous victims and multiple fraud schemes.
The court has already sentenced another member of the organisation, Derrick Van Yeboah, also known as “Van,” to 85 months in prison.
A fourth accused, Patrick Kwame Asare, known as “Borgar,” remains at large, according to the US Attorney’s statement.
The case has involved cooperation between American law enforcement agencies and several Ghanaian institutions.
McDonald acknowledged the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Ghana’s Attorney-General’s Office and its International Cooperation Unit, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Ghana Police Service, the Cyber Security Authority, the Ghana Immigration Service, the National Intelligence Bureau and the Financial Intelligence Centre.
Other agencies credited with supporting the investigation included the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s Sensitive Investigation Unit, US Customs and Border Protection, the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the US Department of State and the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Accra.
The US Attorney’s Office said the cooperation helped secure the extradition of Boateng and Ahmed on August 7, 2025.
The prosecution is being handled by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the Office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, with Assistant US Attorneys Kevin Mead and Mitzi Steiner leading the case.
Boateng’s name has also attracted public attention in Ghana following reports linking him to the East Legon Executive Club and dancehall artiste Shatta Wale after his arrest. Shatta Wale actually mounted a public defence of Boateng following the arrest.
The guilty pleas mark a significant development in the prosecution of the alleged international fraud network, with sentencing for Boateng and Ahmed still to be determined by the court.
The maximum 20-year prison term cited by prosecutors is the statutory limit for the offence and does not represent a sentence already imposed on either defendant.