Frederick Kumi, commonly known as Abu Trica, a Ghanaian national, remains in US federal custody with a new jury trial date scheduled for February 8, 2027. He is facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. According to the US Department of Justice, Abu Trica and his co-conspirators allegedly used online dating platforms and AI-driven video tools to assume fake identities and defraud more than 80 elderly US citizens out of over $8 million between April 2023 and November 2025.
At a pre-trial hearing on November 3, 2026, the court established several key deadlines leading up to the trial. Abu Trica has a December 15, 2026, deadline to finalise any potential plea deal agreement. If he decides to do a plea deal, similar to what Hushpuppi or Kofi Boat and Pascal did in similar cases, the defence and the prosecution have until December 15, 2026, to inform the court. The court will hold a final pre-trial conference on January 13, 2027, at 11a.m.
The trial is set to begin on February 8, 2027, at 9a.m. Abu Trica has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 in a joint operation involving the Ghana Cyber Security Authority and was formally extradited to the United States on July 9, 2026.
In a connected crackdown, Ghanaian twin brothers Jamal and Kamal Abubakari and US citizen Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie pleaded guilty in October 2026 to running a separate $9 million international romance scam network. This case highlights the ongoing efforts to combat romance scams and cyber-enabled fraud.
If Abu Trica takes a plea deal, he could get a lesser sentence than the 20 years. In the similar case of Ramon Abbas, widely known as Ray Hushpuppi, who did a plea deal, he was sentenced to 135 months (over 11 years) in a U.S. federal prison in 2022 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to engage in money laundering and cyber-enabled fraud.
Other individuals involved in similar cases include Isaac Oduro Boateng, also known as “Kofi Boat,” and Inusah Ahmed, also known as “Pascal,” who pled guilty for their roles in an international criminal organisation that stole more than $100 million from victims via romance scams and business email compromises. They face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The US Department of Justice continues to crack down on romance scams and cyber-enabled fraud, with multiple cases resulting in guilty pleas and significant prison sentences. The trial of Abu Trica will be closely watched as it highlights the ongoing efforts to combat these types of crimes.
Key points
- Abu Trica faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
- The trial is set to begin on February 8, 2027, with a final pre-trial conference scheduled for January 13, 2027.
- Abu Trica's case is linked to other high-profile romance scam cases, including the $9 million international romance scam network run by Ghanaian twin brothers.
