Three plead guilty in romance fraud scheme exceeding $9 million

Three defendants have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a romance-fraud scheme that caused victims to lose more than $9 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. Jamal Abubakari and Kamal Abubakari, twin brothers, entered their pleas on October 13, 2026. Amanda Joy OpokuBoachie pleaded guilty on October 20. Each faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal judge will determine the sentences. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the scheme ran from July 2024 through April 2026 and targeted older Americans through dating websites and social media. The defendants and others allegedly used fabricated identities to establish close relationships, often romantic ones, then persuaded victims to wire money to accounts controlled by members of the group. Some of the funds were passed to alleged accomplices in Ghana and elsewhere, the office said. The government said more than 130 people were targeted across 25 U.S. states, Germany and Austria. It reported total victim losses exceeding $9 million. The account of the scheme’s scope and methods comes from the government’s announcement; the guilty pleas establish the...