A Ghanaian man who spent years impersonating romantic partners has been sentenced to 85 months in federal prison for stealing more than $10 million from victims across the United States.
Derrick Van Yeboah, 41, personally communicated with people under false identities, building relationships with victims who believed they had found genuine companionship.
Prosecutors held him responsible for $10,149,429.17 obtained through his romance scams.
His victims included older and vulnerable people who lost their own savings or were unknowingly persuaded to help move money stolen from others.
He Spent Nine Years Posing as Romantic Partners
Van Yeboah operated as part of a criminal organization primarily based in Ghana that targeted individuals and businesses throughout the United States. CyberScoop, citing court records, reported that he directly impersonated romantic partners from February 2015 through October 2024.
Members of the organization created false identities and pursued online relationships with people seeking companionship. After developing trust, they persuaded victims to send money or help receive and transfer proceeds taken from other people.
Authorities identified at least 20 victims connected to Van Yeboah. Many were older men and women, and some lost substantial portions of the savings they had expected to use during retirement.
Two Women Transferred or Moved Approximately $4.2 Million
In 2019 and 2020, Van Yeboah used separate false identities to pursue relationships with women in Ohio and Delaware. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said the two women transferred approximately $4.2 million into accounts controlled by members of the organization.
Court records cited by CyberScoop attributed approximately $2.3 million in transfers or laundering activity to the Ohio woman and $1.9 million to the Delaware woman. Another woman sent or moved approximately $1 million through the operation.
Some people were deceived into creating companies or using their personal accounts to unknowingly launder proceeds stolen from additional victims.
A Funeral and Imaginary Gold Produced Another $123,000
Van Yeboah used another false identity in 2024 to develop a romantic relationship with a man in North Carolina. He claimed that he needed money to pay expenses connected to a parent’s funeral and to retrieve gold and diamonds supposedly being held in Italy.
The man transferred approximately $123,000 to accounts belonging to members of the organization. The funeral, gold and diamonds were components of the false story rather than verified assets or expenses, according to prosecutors.
The Larger Organization Stole More Than $100 Million
Van Yeboah belonged to an international organization that used both romance scams and business email compromise schemes. In the business schemes, participants impersonated trusted employees or business contacts and tricked companies into wiring money to accounts controlled by the organization.
Across both methods, the conspiracy stole and laundered more than $100 million from dozens of individuals and businesses, prosecutors said. The proceeds were moved through accounts controlled by participants or unwitting intermediaries before being laundered to West Africa.
The organization’s total exceeds the amount personally attributed to Van Yeboah. The court held him responsible for more than $10 million generated through his own romance-scam activity.
He Was Extradited From Ghana and Pleaded Guilty
Ghanaian authorities arrested Van Yeboah before he was extradited to the United States on Aug. 7, 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian imposed the 85-month sentence on July 28. The court also ordered two years of supervised release and $10,149,429.17 in forfeiture.
The Justice Department’s sentencing announcement did not identify a separate restitution amount or provide a schedule for returning money to the victims.
Transaction Details Should Be Preserved Before Accounts Disappear
The Federal Trade Commission warns people never to receive and forward money for an online romantic interest. A person may be moving proceeds stolen from another victim even when the supposed partner offers an emotionally convincing explanation.
A victim who has transferred money should immediately contact every bank, wire service, payment app or cryptocurrency exchange involved and ask whether a pending transfer can be stopped or recalled. The FBI recommends preserving the transaction date, payment type, amount, account numbers, receiving financial institution and any cryptocurrency wallet addresses or transaction hashes.
Reports can be filed through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The FBI advises users to type IC3.gov directly into the browser because scammers have created websites impersonating the complaint center. Victims should also be cautious of anyone who later promises to recover the money for an upfront fee. Recovery schemes frequently target people whose losses have already been disclosed through social media, online forums or earlier scam reports.