Two Ghanaians jailed in US, ordered to pay more than $1 million after defrauding Americans in romance scams

• Two Ghanaian citizens have been ordered to pay more than $500,000 each in the US
• Based in Ghana, they targeted older American citizens through phone calls and online platforms
• The Ghanaian convicts have been identified as Sadia Alhassan, 35, and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu, 39

Two Ghanaian nationals have been convicted in the US and ordered to pay $581,261.67 each in restitution following a romance scam targeting older Americans.

The convicts are Sadia Alhassan, 35, and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu, 39.

Reports from the US noted that another, Shawn William Smith, 26, was convicted of the scheme that defrauded vulnerable U.S. citizens by manipulating them into money to fictional romantic partners.

Alhassan, who was living in Tallahassee on a student visa, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Zuberu, a dual U.S.-Ghanaian citizen living in Aldie, Virginia, was sentenced to five and a half months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Smith was sentenced to one day in jail, followed by three years of supervised release, including 150 hours of community service.

The scam operated from March 2019 to March 2022. Based in Ghana, they targeted elderly US citizens through phone calls and online platforms, creating fabricated relationships to deceive victims.

According to court documents, Zuberu acted as an intermediary and coordinated the 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 money had arrived.

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some of the money to purchase money orders, which were later deposited into accounts under their control and quickly withdrawn from ATMs in Ghana.

Ghanaian involvement in romance scams

Ghana’s most notable link to romance scams was Hajia4Reall, recently convicted to a year and a day in prison in the US for her $2 million romance scam saga.

Before her sentencing on June 28, the Fine Girl hitmaker had done just that pleaded guiltyissued a statement advocating for a more lenient sentence.

In the court document, she explained the circumstances that led to her involvement in a romance scam, naming Allison, the father of her eight-year-old daughter, Naila, as the one who proposed to her.

According to the Fine Girl hitmaker, she met Loveman Allison in 2015 in the US and started dating. She later discovered that Allison was engaging in fraudulent activities.

At first he convinced her that everything was legit, but it later turned out that he had lied. He then introduced her to the ‘game’, and she accepted to be part of it.

The Nice girl hitmakerwho described Allison as an irresponsible father to their daughter, further argued that a prolonged absence could harm her daughter’s well-being.

Hajia4Reall’s lawyer denies that rumors have been spread

YEN.com.gh reported that Hajia4Reall’s lawyer acted in the $2 million romance scam case denied rumors that she clicked to get a reduced sentence.

In a video, Hajia4Reall’s lawyer indicated that at no point did her client speak to authorities to make a deal.

Source: YEN.com.gh