Ghanaian social media influencer Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, has been extradited to the United States to face trial for allegedly running a romance scam that defrauded elderly Americans of over $8m (£5.9m).
Kumi has denied all the charges against him.
According to US prosecutors, he allegedly used artificial intelligence tools to create fake online identities, targeting victims through social media and online dating platforms before gaining their trust and persuading them to part with money.
The influencer was flown to the US on Thursday, July 9, and faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Kumi’s lawyer, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, told the BBC he went to court on Thursday to stop the extradition before learning a short while later that Kumi had in fact already been extradited on board a Delta Airlines flight.
Barker-Vormawor accuses the Ghanaian government of sidestepping “judicial oversight” by allegedly not waiting for the court’s verdict, and says their decision to extradite Kumi “raises profound constitutional questions”.
But Ghana’s government says the law was followed and disputes the lawyer’s timeline of events.
“Last week the court dismissed the habeas corpus application as having no basis. So I had to proceed to apply for a surrender warrant from the Ministry of Interior, and the minister signed it [Wednesday], and we took him out [Thursday]. So what due process is he talking about?” said Justice Minister and Attorney General Dominic Ayeni.
Kumi had long flaunted luxury items online to his more than 100,000 Instagram followers.
This raised suspicions about the sources of his income.
US prosecutors say victims were allegedly targeted through social media and online dating platforms, lured in via frequent and intimate conversations.
This would escalate to “requests for money or valuables under false pretences – such as urgent medical needs, travel expenses or investment opportunities”.
The monies, or valuables, were then directed to co-conspirators posing as third parties. Kumi allegedly distributed the money to his associates in the US and in Ghana.
Kumi, who is from the town of Swedru in southern Ghana, was arrested in a joint Ghana-US operation last year.
The case is being prosecuted under the US Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution law.
US authorities have in recent months stepped up their crackdown on criminal networks operating in the US and West Africa who seek to defraud elderly Americans.