Ghanaian Twin Brothers and Hawaii Woman Plead Guilty in $9 Million Romance Fraud Targeting Older Americans Across 25 States
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio — Twin brothers from Ghana and a woman from Hawaii have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their roles in an international criminal network that ran romance fraud schemes targeting mostly older Americans, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced on October 26. Victims in northern Ohio lived in Williams County, with other victims in 24 additional states and in Germany and Austria, and collective losses exceeded $9 million.
Jamal Abubakari, also known as Jamal Abubakar and Arrangement, 22, and Kamal Abubakari, also known as Kamal Abubakar and Lancaster, 22, pleaded guilty on October 13. Co-conspirator Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, also known as Amanda Joy Glum and Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman, 53, of Kula, Hawaii, pleaded guilty on October 20, 2026.
According to court documents, from about July 2024 to April 2026 the defendants used fake personas on dating websites and social media platforms to build close, often romantic, personal relationships with older Americans, then misled them with false stories into wiring money to financial accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy. Portions of the funds were forwarded to co-conspirators in Ghana and elsewhere.
As part of their pleas, the three agreed to forfeit jewelry seized at the time of their arrests, including luxury timepieces, high-end watches, rings, chains, medallions, and earrings.
The investigation was led by the FBI's Cleveland Division, with significant assistance from the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs. U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer also acknowledged assistance from Ghanaian and U.S. partner agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Elliot Morrison are prosecuting the case.
Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, with the sentence to be determined by a federal district court judge. Sentencing for the Abubakari brothers is scheduled for February 9, 2027, and for Opoku-Boachie on February 10, 2027. The case was brought under the Justice Department's Elder Justice Initiative, established under the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：美国俄亥俄州 Cleveland 市天际线日出景象，远眺伊利湖岸（Erik Drost 摄，经 Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0，资料图）
