Three individuals, including two foreigners, have pleaded guilty to being part of a global criminal network that carried out romance schemes against older Americans to defraud them of their money.
Jamal Abubakari, 22, and Kamal Abubakari, 22, twin brothers from Ghana, pleaded guilty on Oct. 13. Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, 53, from Hawaii, pleaded guilty on Oct. 20. The victims, mostly elderly, spread across 25 U.S. states, had collectively lost more than $9 million, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in an Oct. 26 statement, adding that there were victims from Germany and Austria as well.
From about July 2024 to April 2026, the defendants targeted older Americans on social media platforms and dating websites, the DOJ said.
The defendants used fake personas to establish relationships with the victims, which were often romantic in nature. After being misled by false stories, the victims sent money to financial accounts they controlled, the department said.
The three individuals pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and face up to 20 years in prison. Their sentencing is scheduled for February 2027.
As part of their plea, the defendants agreed to forfeit jewelry that had been seized by authorities during their arrests.
The investigation and prosecution are in response to the department’s Elder Justice Initiative program that seeks to combat abuse, financial fraud, scams, and neglect aimed at America’s elderly population, according to the DOJ statement.
The Epoch Times was unable to reach representatives for the defendants.
A Federal Trade Commission report said earlier in October that older adults collectively reported fraud losses worth roughly $3 billion last year, driven by losses from romance scams, investment fraud, and impersonations.
Older adults were found to be more likely than younger adults to report losing money in sweepstakes, lottery scams, government impersonation fraud, romance scams, and tech-support fraud, the report said.
“From 2020 to 2025, combined losses by older adults who reported losing over $100,000 increased nearly sevenfold. While these reports were relatively rare at 6 percent of older adults’ loss reports in 2025, they accounted for 70 percent of their aggregate reported losses,” the Federal Trade Commission said.
Older adults were more than twice as likely as younger adults to report a six-figure fraud loss, the agency said.
To help tackle the issue, Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) introduced the STOP Scams Against Seniors Act in June to aid law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting criminals seeking to financially scam seniors, according to a statement from the lawmaker’s office in June.
The bill seeks to create Elder Justice Task Forces that would help federal, state, and local agencies work together to crack down on elder fraud criminals.
The measure has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. It has the support of the National Crime Prevention Council, the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, and the AARP, a nonprofit serving 125 million Americans aged 50 plus.
The Act “will equip law enforcement with the tools and expertise needed to thwart these criminals and help ensure that every senior can enjoy the retirement they worked a lifetime to earn,” Moody said in the statement.
