Ghana extradites influencer "Abu Trica" to US over alleged $8m romance fraud scheme

A well-known Ghanaian social media figure, Frederick Kumi, better known online as Abu Trica, has been sent to the United States to stand trial over accusations that he ran a large-scale romance scam targeting older Americans. He denies the charges.

US prosecutors say the scheme brought in more than $8 million (£5.9m). They allege Kumi used artificial intelligence to build convincing fake online personas, which he then used to approach victims on social media and dating apps.

How the scam allegedly worked

According to prosecutors, the fake profiles built emotional connections with victims through regular, intimate messaging. Once trust was established, the victims were reportedly asked for money, often under invented reasons like emergency medical bills, travel costs, or investment opportunities.

Funds were then funneled to associates posing as unrelated third parties, prosecutors say, with Kumi allegedly sharing proceeds with collaborators both in the US and Ghana.

If convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, Kumi faces up to 20 years in prison.

A disputed extradition

Kumi was put on a Delta Airlines flight to the US on Thursday. His lawyer, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, says he was in court that same day trying to block the extradition, only to learn shortly afterward that his client had already left the country.

The lawyer argues Ghanaian authorities bypassed proper court oversight and says the move "raises profound constitutional questions."

Ghana's government rejects that account. Justice Minister and Attorney General Dominic Ayeni said a court had already dismissed a related legal challenge the week before, clearing the way for the surrender warrant, which he signed on Wednesday before Kumi was handed over the next day. Ayeni maintains all legal steps were properly followed.

A visible online lifestyle

Kumi, from the town of Swedru in southern Ghana, had built a following of more than 100,000 on Instagram, frequently posting about cars, cash, and a lavish lifestyle, content that had already drawn scrutiny over how he could afford it.

He was arrested last year as part of a joint operation between Ghanaian and US authorities. There's some disagreement over his age: his lawyer says he's 28, while US prosecutors list him as 31.

Part of a wider crackdown

The case is being pursued under the US Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution law, part of a broader push by American authorities against fraud networks spanning the US and West Africa that specifically target elderly victims.

It follows other recent cases: Ghanaian national Joseph Kwadwo Badu Boateng, known as Dada Joe Remix, pleaded guilty last week to running romance and inheritance scams. And in December, Nigerian national Oluwaseun Adekoya was sentenced to 20 years for laundering more than $2 million tied to bank fraud schemes.