A Ghanaian national extradited to the United States has pleaded guilty to participating in a romance and inheritance fraud conspiracy that defrauded victims of millions of dollars and agreed to pay about $4.4 million in restitution.
Joseph Kwadwo Badu Boateng, also known as “Dada Joe Remix,” admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud last week, according to a statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona on Tuesday (30 June).
Under the plea agreement, Boateng agreed to pay approximately $4.4 million to compensate victims for their financial losses.
Boateng was arrested in Ghana on 27 May 2025 following an extradition request from the United States and was extradited the following month. He has remained in U.S. custody since his arrest.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Boateng and his co-conspirators operated the fraud scheme from 2013 through March 2023, targeting elderly victims in Arizona and other parts of the United States.
Investigators said members of the conspiracy created fake online identities and posed as romantic partners on dating platforms, through text messages and other electronic communications to gain victims’ trust.
They also carried out inheritance scams by falsely claiming they had inherited gold and precious jewels but required victims to pay taxes, shipping costs and other fees before the supposed assets could be released.
Victims allegedly transferred large sums of money believing they were assisting their online partners or helping unlock valuable inheritances that did not exist.
Boateng is scheduled to be sentenced on 8 September 2026 before United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez.
The prosecution follows a joint investigation involving U.S. and Ghanaian law enforcement agencies.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office credited the FBI Legal Attaché in Accra, Ghana’s Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Ghana Police Service’s INTERPOL Unit for assisting in Boateng’s arrest and extradition, alongside the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Phoenix Division through its Sierra Vista office and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona in Tucson.