Ghanaian twins, American plead guilty to $9m romance scam

Jamal and Kamal Abubakari. Photo:Tiktok/@arrangementlancaster

Two Ghanaian twin brothers and an American woman have pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud older people of more than $9m through romance scams targeting victims in the United States, Germany and Austria.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio disclosed this in a statement published on Monday.

The brothers, Jamal Abubakari, 22, and Kamal Abubakari, 22, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on October 13, while their co-defendant, Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, 53, of Hawaii, entered her guilty plea on October 20.

According to court documents cited by the US Justice Department, the defendants and their co-conspirators operated the schemes between July 2024 and April 2026, targeting older Americans through dating websites and social media platforms.

“The defendants conspired with others to use fake personas to establish close, personal relationships with the victims which were often romantic in nature.

“After being misled by false stories, the victims sent money via wire transfer to financial accounts controlled by conspiracy members.

“Portions of the funds were further provided to co-conspirators in Ghana and elsewhere. Collectively, the victims lost more than $`9 million,” the statement said.

As part of their plea agreements, the three defendants agreed to forfeit jewellery seized during their arrests, including luxury watches, rings, chains, medallions and earrings.

The investigation was led by the FBI’s Cleveland Division, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and several Ghanaian agencies, including the Attorney General’s Office, the Economic and Organised Crime Office and the Ghana Police Service.

The defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal judge will determine their sentences after considering the US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The brothers are scheduled to be sentenced on February 9, 2027, while Opoku-Boachie’s sentencing is scheduled for February 10, 2027.