Abu Trica to face jury trial Feb 8, 2027 in alleged $8m romance scam; Court sets Dec 15 deadline if he wants plea deal same as Hushpuppi

Frederick Kumi, commonly known as Abu Trica, remains in US federal custody with a new jury trial date scheduled for February 8, 2027.

This is following a pre-trial hearing on November 3, 2026, during which the court granted the defence and prosecution additional time to review extensive evidence in the complex fraud case.

At the November 3, 2026, pre-trial hearing, 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.

This means if Abu Trica decides to do a plea deal, same as what Hushpuppi or Kofi Boat and Pascal did in similar cases both sides, 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 9am.

The prosecutors in the Northern District of Ohio in the United States indicted Abu Trica on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

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.

They are accused of defrauding more than 80 elderly US citizens out of over $8 million between April 2023 and November 2025.

He was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 in a joint operation involving the Ghana Cyber Security Authority. He 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.

Since new court filings and trial updates are expected ahead of the December 15 plea deadline and February trial, if Abu Trica takes a plea deal, he could get a lesser sentence than the 20 years.

In the similar Ramon Abbas, widely known as Ray Hushpuppi case for instance, where he did a plea deal, he was sentenced to 135 months (over 11 years) in a U.S. federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to engage in money laundering and cyber-enabled fraud.

Kofi Boat and Pascal waiting for their sentence

On their part, Isaac Oduro Boateng, also known as “Kofi Boat,” and Inusah Ahmed also known as “Pascal,” 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.

Boateng pled guilty on October 29, 2026, and Ahmed pled guilty on October 27, 2026. Both defendants pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.

According to the Indictment and public court filings:

Boateng and Ahmed were members of a criminal organisation primarily based in Ghana that committed romance scams and business email compromises against individuals and businesses located across the United States.

Many of the conspiracy’s victims were vulnerable older men and women who were tricked into believing that they were in online romantic relationships with persons who were, in fact, fake identities assumed by members of the conspiracy.

Once members of the conspiracy had gained the trust of their victims, they deceived those victims into sending their money to the enterprise or into helping them launder funds from other victims.

The conspirators also used business email compromise schemes to induce businesses to wire funds to the enterprise. In total, the conspiracy stole and laundered more than $100 million from dozens of victims. After stealing the money, the fraud proceeds were then laundered to West Africa.

Boateng and Ahmed were both “chairmen” of the conspiracy, and they played a role in managing and supervising its activity.

While Boateng is being held responsible for approximately $12.5 million in victim loss, Ahmed is being held for approximately $28.5 million in victim loss.

Judge Subramanian previously sentenced their co-defendant Derrick Van Yeboah also known as “Van,” to 85 months in prison.

Another co-defendant Patrick Kwame Asare also known as “Borgar,” remains at large.

Boateng, 37, of Ghana, and Ahmed, 41, of Ghana, each pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Boateng has agreed to make restitution and pay forfeiture, both in the amount of $12,529,213.98. Ahmed has also agreed to make restitution and pay forfeiture, both in the amount of $28,574,002.

Sentencing of the defendants is to be determined by the judge.

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