By Seli Baisie
Popular Ghanaian entrepreneur Frederick Kumi, also known as Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng or Abu Trica, has been indicted in the United States for allegedly defrauding elderly victims of more than $8 million through romance scams dating back to 2023.
The 31-year-old from Swedru was arrested in Ghana on Thursday, December 11, 2025, following a joint operation between Ghanaian and U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Abu Trica is accused of working with a criminal network that used artificial intelligence to impersonate individuals online and manipulate victims into sending money.
According to the newly unsealed indictment, the group allegedly created fake identities and built intimate, long-distance relationships with victims, mostly elderly people, through social media and online dating platforms.
Prosecutors say the perpetrators held “frequent, personal conversations” with victims via phone, email and messaging apps before requesting money for fabricated emergencies, medical bills, travel costs or business opportunities.
Victims, believing they were helping someone they trusted, sent funds and valuables that were then channelled to associates posing as intermediaries. The indictment alleges that Kumi helped co-conspirators move the proceeds from Ohio to recipients in Ghana and elsewhere.
Abu Trica has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and a forfeiture specification. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. The US Department of Justice stressed that sentencing would depend on factors such as his criminal history and role in the alleged conspiracy.
Prosecutors emphasised that “an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt,” noting that Kumi is entitled to a fair trial and that the government must prove its case “beyond a reasonable doubt”.
The case is being handled under the United States’ Elder Justice Initiative, established under the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017, which targets fraud schemes that exploit older adults.
The FBI Cleveland Division led the investigation, with assistance from several US and Ghanaian agencies, including the Ghana Attorney-General’s Office, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Cyber Security Authority, NACOC, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI Legal Attaché in Accra.
Assistant US Attorney Brian M. McDonough is prosecuting the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
