Two Ghanaians, Sadia Alhassan and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu, have been sentenced in the United States for their roles in a romance scam that deceived elderly Americans out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Both were ordered to pay restitution of $581,261.67 each.
Alhassan, 35, a student visa holder from Tallahassee, Florida, received a sentence of 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Zuberu, 39, a dual U.S.-Ghanaian citizen from Aldie, Virginia, was sentenced to approximately five and a half months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.
Their co-conspirator, 26-year-old Shawn William Smith from Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to one day in jail, followed by three years of supervised release and 150 hours of community service. Smith had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to running an unauthorized money transmission business and conspiring to commit wire fraud.
The romance scam, which ran from March 2019 to March 2022, targeted vulnerable elderly Americans. Scammers would fabricate fake romantic relationships to build trust with victims, ultimately convincing them to send money to supposed “partners.” Many victims believed they were helping a loved one in need, unknowingly becoming part of a fraudulent scheme.
Alhassan and Smith acted as intermediaries for the illicit funds, receiving money packages sent by the victims. They would process these funds through accounts they controlled, forwarding the proceeds to Zuberu. Zuberu, in turn, coordinated the money transfers with the masterminds of the scam, based in Ghana.
Court documents reveal that Zuberu sent tracking receipts for the victim packages to Alhassan, alerting the scammers when the money had been received. Through this organized operation, the fraudsters were able to exploit elderly Americans, resulting in substantial financial losses.
The case highlights the growing prevalence of romance scams targeting seniors and serves as a reminder of the need for vigilance against such fraudulent schemes.
