Twin brothers from Ghana, Jamal Abubakari, also known as Arrangement, and Kamal Abubakari, also known as Lancaster, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the United States and agreed to forfeit luxury jewellery, including high-end watches, seized at the time of their arrests, in a romance fraud scheme that cost victims more than US$9 million.
The 22-year-olds entered their pleas on October 13, 2026, before the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, while their co-conspirator, Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, also known as Amanda Joy Glum or Amanda Joy Kessei Bierman, 53, of Kula, Hawaii, pleaded guilty on October 20, 2026.
As part of the plea agreements, the three defendants agreed to forfeit jewellery which investigators seized at the time of their arrests, including luxury timepieces, high-end watches, rings, chains, medallions and earrings, as well as a French luxury handbag.
Court documents allege that from about July 2024 to April 2026, the defendants targeted older Americans on dating websites and social media platforms, using fake personas to establish close, often romantic relationships with victims before misleading them with false stories. Victims then sent money via wire transfer to accounts controlled by conspiracy members, with portions of the funds passed on to co-conspirators in Ghana and elsewhere.
Collectively, victims lost more than US$9 million, with those in northern Ohio residing in Edgerton in Williams County, while others were spread across 24 other states as well as Germany and Austria.
The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division, with significant assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and drew on support from a wide range of Ghanaian and US agencies, 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 Ghana National Intelligence Bureau.
Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, with sentencing for the Abubakari brothers scheduled for February 9, 2027, and Opoku-Boachie on February 10, 2027.
Seized jewellery
