The key facts
- Twins Jamal and Kamal Abubakari and Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie pleaded guilty in the $9 million fraud case
- Victims in 25 US states, as well as in Germany and Austria; the defendants face up to 20 years in prison
- The case is part of a series of recent US measures against networks in Ghana, including the extradition of Abu Trica
Guilty pleas in the $9 million fraud case
Two 22-year-old twins from Ghana, Jamal and Kamal Abubakari, and 53-year-old Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie from Hawaii have pleaded guilty to taking part in an international criminal network that defrauded people on dating sites and social media. The charges were filed in Ohio; all three face up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing due next year. This was reported by BBC News, whose correspondents worked in Accra.
How the scheme worked
According to the investigation, the group created fake identities, convinced victims that they were in romantic relationships, and then persuaded them to transfer large sums to accounts in Ghana. From July 2024 to April 2026, the total losses amounted to $9 million (£6.7 million). Although many victims were from Ohio, where the charges were filed, others were located in 24 more US states, as well as in Germany and Austria. As part of the plea deal, the defendants agreed to forfeit the jewellery seized upon their arrest — luxury watches, rings, chains and earrings. The suspects are known to the investigation under several names: Jamal is also known as Jamal Abubakar and Arrangement, Kamal as Kamal Abubakar and Lancaster, and Opoku-Boachie as Amanda Joy Glum and Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman.
Part of a broader US campaign
The case is being heard against the backdrop of increased US pressure on criminal networks operating in the US and West Africa that target elderly Americans. Earlier this month, FBI Director Kash Patel said that hundreds of arrests had been made after a scam centre in Ghana was dismantled. In June, a Ghanaian influencer known as Abu Trica (real name Frederick Kumi) was extradited to the US on charges of organising romance fraud that cost elderly Americans more than $8 million (£5.9 million): according to the prosecution, he contacted victims through social media and dating platforms and asked for money or valuables under pretexts such as urgent medical care. His case is being pursued under the US Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act; he denies all charges. Thus, the guilty pleas by the twins and Opoku-Boachie are not an isolated event but part of a series of recent cases in which the US combines arrests in America, extraditions from Ghana and the dismantling of scam centres on the ground.
Image source, TikTok/@arrangmentlancaster 
Image source, US Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio Jewellery was confiscated from the gang after they were arrested
