A Ghanaian national, Derrick Van Yeboah, popularly known as Van, has pleaded guilty in a United States court after standing trial for seven months over his involvement in a massive $100 million romance scam.
Van Yeboah was extradited to the United States together with two other Ghanaians — Isaac Oduro Boateng, also known as Kofi Boat, and Insuah Ahmed, popularly called Pascal — for allegedly operating a notorious cybercrime syndicate known as “The Enterprise.”
According to a statement published on 6 March 2026 on the official website of the United States Department of Justice, Van Yeboah entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
The announcement was made by Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who disclosed that Van Yeboah was part of a criminal network that defrauded victims of more than $100 million through online romance scams and business email compromise schemes.
Investigators revealed that the 40-year-old suspect personally carried out several of the romance scams by posing as fake romantic partners online. Many of the victims were elderly men and women searching for companionship on dating platforms.
“Derrick Van Yeboah pled guilty today to a massive criminal scheme targeting elderly men and women through online romance scams,” Clayton stated.
He added that many people seek companionship online and warned the public to remain vigilant when interacting with strangers on dating websites.
Van Yeboah’s guilty plea carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, although the final sentence will be determined by the presiding judge.
He has also agreed to pay restitution and forfeiture totaling $10,149,429.17. Sentencing has been scheduled for 3 June 2026.
