Twin brothers from Ghana, Jamal Abubakari, also known as Arrangement, and Kamal Abubakari, also known as Lancaster, have pleaded guilty in the United States to charges of being part of an international criminal network that devised romance fraud schemes to obtain money from victims who were mostly older Americans.
The 22-year-olds pleaded guilty on 13 October 2026 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, alongside their co-conspirator, Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, also known as Amanda Joy Glum or Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman, 53, of Kula, Hawaii, who pleaded guilty on 20 October 2026, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
According to allegations in court documents, from about July 2024 to April 2026, the defendants targeted older Americans on dating websites and social media platforms to engage in romance fraud schemes.
They conspired with others to use fake personas to establish close, personal relationships with 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, and portions of the funds were further provided to co-conspirators in Ghana and elsewhere. Collectively, the victims lost more than US$9 million, with victims in northern Ohio residing in Edgerton in Williams County, while others were spread across 24 other states as well as Germany and Austria.
As part of the plea, the Abubakaris and Opoku-Boachie agreed to forfeit jewellery seized by investigators at the time of their arrests, including luxury timepieces, high-end watches, rings, chains, medallions and earrings.
The investigation leading to the indictments was led by the FBI Cleveland Division, with significant assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
The US Attorney, David M. Toepfer, acknowledged international and national partners for their assistance, including the Ghana Attorney General’s Office, the Economic and Organised Crime Office, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Cyber Security Authority, the Narcotics Control Commission, the Ghana Financial Intelligence Centre, the Ghana Immigration Service and the National Intelligence Bureau. Other partners included the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s Sensitive Investigation Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, US Customs and Border Protection, the US Department of State, the FBI Washington Field Office, the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Accra and the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Assistant US Attorneys Brian M. McDonough and Elliot Morrison are leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
The defendants each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, with a federal district court judge to determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Sentencing for the Abubakari brothers is scheduled for February 9, 2027, while Opoku-Boachie is scheduled to be sentenced on February 10, 2027.
The investigation and prosecution are in response to the Elder Justice Initiative Programme originating from the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017.
