Ghanaian twins Jamal and Kamal Abubakari, popularly known as Arrangement and Lancaster, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a $9 million US case.
According to the US Department of Justice, they and a 53-year-old woman from Hawaii, Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, used fake personas on dating websites and social media to build relationships with mostly older Americans and persuade them to wire money to accounts controlled by members of the network. The twins and Opoku-Boachie agreed to forfeit luxury jewellery, including watches, rings, chains, medallions, and earrings, seized when they were arrested.
They face up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for February 9 and 10, 2027. The scheme caused losses of more than $9 million, with victims in Edgerton, Williams County, Ohio, and 24 other US states, Germany, and Austria.
The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division, with support from Ghana's Attorney General's Office, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Ghana Police Service, and the Financial Intelligence Centre, according to the US Justice Department.