Ghanaian twins plead guilty in $9 million US romance scam

Ghanaian twin brothers Jamal and Kamal Abubakari, known online as Arrangement and Lancaster, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the United States. The 22-year-olds were part of an international criminal network that targeted older individuals through dating websites and social media between July 2024 and April 2026.

A co-conspirator, 53-year-old Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie of Hawaii, also entered a guilty plea. The group used fake personas to establish romantic relationships with victims, subsequently using fabricated stories to persuade them to wire money to accounts controlled by the network. The scheme resulted in losses exceeding $9 million, affecting victims across 25 U.S. states, as well as Germany and Austria.

As part of their plea agreements, the defendants agreed to forfeit luxury items seized during their arrests, including high-end watches, rings, chains, and medallions. The investigation was led by the FBI’s Cleveland Division with assistance from various U.S. and Ghanaian law enforcement agencies, including Ghana’s Economic and Organised Crime Office and the Ghana Police Service.