Two Ghanaians ordered to repay over $1million in US romance scam sentencing

Two Ghanaian nationals have been sentenced in the United States and ordered to pay $581,261.67 each in restitution after their involvement in a Ghana-based romance scam targeting elderly Americans. 

Sadia Alhassan, 35, and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu, 39, and Shawn William Smith, 26 were convicted for their roles in a scheme that defrauded vulnerable U.S. citizens by manipulating them into sending money to fictitious romantic partners.

Sadia Alhassan, who resided in Tallahassee on a student visa, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Her co-defendant, Mohammed Zuberu, a dual U.S.-Ghanaian citizen living in Aldie, Virginia, received approximately five-and-a-half months in federal prison, also followed by three years of supervised release.

Smith of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to serve one day in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, to include 150 hours of community service, after previously pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and one count of operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business.

The scam operated from March 2019 to March 2022, with individuals based in Ghana targeting elderly U.S. citizens through phone calls and online platforms, creating fabricated relationships to deceive the victims. Once trust was established, the victims were convinced to send money to their supposed “partners,” unknowingly contributing to an elaborate scheme.

Alhassan and her husband, Shawn Smith, served as intermediaries for the funds, receiving packages of money sent via postal services or commercial carriers. The funds were then processed through accounts they controlled and relayed to Zuberu, who communicated with the unknown masterminds in Ghana.

According to court documents, Zuberu acted as an intermediary, coordinating money transfers between Alhassan, Smith, and the Ghana-based orchestrators. 

On at least one occasion, Zuberu sent a tracking receipt for a package from one of the victims to Alhassan, notifying the scammers when the funds had arrived. 

Alhassan and Zuberu then used some of the money to purchase money orders, later deposited into accounts under their control and quickly withdrawn at ATMs in Ghana.

“Targeting the elderly for financial gain is morally reprehensible,” stated Nicholas Ingegno, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Tallahassee. Law enforcement agencies noted the rise of such scams exploiting elderly citizens and reiterated their commitment to prosecuting perpetrators to protect the vulnerable.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen, following a joint investigation involving the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, IRS Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Florida Highway Patrol.