Two Ghanaians ordered to pay over $1 Million in U.S. romance scam

Ghanaian

Two Ghanaians, Sadia Alhassan and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu, have been sentenced in the U.S. and ordered to each pay $581,261.67 in restitution for their roles in a Ghana-based romance scam targeting elderly Americans.

The scam, which ran from 2019 to 2022, involved deceiving victims into sending money to fictitious romantic partners, often exploiting their vulnerability and trust.


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The defendants, who resided in the U.S., facilitated money transfers from victims by receiving packages of cash and processing them through controlled accounts before the funds were sent to accomplices in Ghana.

Alhassan, living in Florida on a student visa, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, while her co-defendant Zuberu, a dual U.S.-Ghanaian citizen, received approximately five-and-a-half months.

Targeting the elderly for financial gain is morally reprehensible," remarked Nicholas Ingegno, Assistant Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations, underscoring the agencies' dedication to protecting vulnerable citizens.

Alhassan’s husband, Shawn William Smith, also received a light sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy and aiding an unlicensed money transmission business.

As part of the scam, he and Alhassan served as intermediaries, using postal services to manage victims' funds. Federal authorities, including Homeland Security, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the IRS, worked together to bring this case to trial, emphasizing a commitment to ending exploitation schemes of this kind.