BY ISSAH OLEGOR
Ghanaian social media personality Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, has reportedly provided investigators with the names of eight individuals alleged to have benefited from proceeds linked to the multi-million-dollar romance fraud case for which he is currently facing prosecution in the United States.
Reports circulating in Ghana indicate that the list allegedly includes a prominent politician and sitting Member of Parliament from the Central Region, where the romance scammer comes from, together with seven other individuals said to be connected to the Central and Greater Accra regions.
However, the identities of the individuals have not been officially released, and there is no public confirmation from the United States Department of Justice identifying any serving Ghanaian MP as a beneficiary of the alleged fraud.
The reported development comes as authorities continue examining the wider network allegedly connected to the criminal case against Abu Trica who was extradited from Ghana to the United States in July 2026 after months of legal proceedings.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the scammer was indicted alongside Ghanaian national Daniel Yussif, also known as Denteni or Slab, over allegations that they participated in romance-fraud schemes targeting elderly Americans.
Prosecutors allege that the network operated from approximately April 2023 to November 2025 and obtained more than US$8 million from more than 80 victims.
Federal prosecutors allege that members of the network used online dating platforms, social media and fictitious identities to establish relationships with victims before persuading them to send money.
Prosecutors further allege that sophisticated technology, including AI-driven video platforms, was used to communicate with victims while maintaining false identities.
The indictment also alleges that once victims transferred money, Abu Trica and other alleged conspirators helped distribute the proceeds from the United States to associates in Ghana and other locations.
Investigators further allege that money mules and fake businesses or bank accounts were used to move and conceal proceeds.
The U.S. government’s publicly released case materials currently focus on the charges against Kumi and his alleged co-conspirators. The Department of Justice’s July 2026 announcement identifies Kumi and Yussif as defendants and says international law-enforcement cooperation helped secure Kumi’s arrest and extradition. It does not identify a sitting Ghanaian MP as a beneficiary of the alleged scheme.
If the alleged beneficiary is confirmed, it will bring to two the number of MPs accused of money laundering and romance fraud in the United States following the arrest of Ohene Kwame (OK) Frimpong by the Dutch authorities in Amsterdam.
OK Frimpong who serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Asante-Akyem North constituency in the Ashanti region is facing US extradition from Amsterdam over similar charges.
The reported list also comes amid efforts by investigators to trace assets allegedly acquired with proceeds of the fraud. U.S. prosecutors have previously said that law-enforcement authorities seized or identified several high-value assets allegedly connected to Abu Trica, including a mansion in Ghana, a Lamborghini, Tesla Cybertruck, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Prosecutors have indicated that the alleged proceeds are subject to forfeiture proceedings.
Kumi was arrested in Ghana on December 11, 2025, after the U.S. indictment was unsealed. He subsequently challenged efforts to extradite him to the United States through Ghana’s courts, but those legal efforts ultimately failed and he was transferred to U.S. custody on July 9, 2026.
