Two Ghanaian-American citizens have been arrested in the United States on charges of wire fraud, allegedly amassing around $7 million over three years.
Kelvin Nkwantabisa, 31, from Atlanta, also known as “Kevin Brown” and “KO,” is the primary suspect and is currently held by U.S. Marshals in Broward County, as reported by Local 10 on Friday, May 24. Nkwantabisa, believed to be an alumnus of Prempeh College, is detained in the Broward Main Jail and faces six federal charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The second suspect, Justice Amoh, also known as “Samuel Andrews,” from The Bronx, New York, is being prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida.
The indictment also names two other co-conspirators: John Jouissance from Canal Winchester, Ohio, and Leshea Moore, also known as “Deborah Green,” from Acworth, Georgia.
The federal indictment details their scheme: they allegedly compromised victims’ business email accounts to monitor and intercept emails discussing wire transfer payments. Posing as legitimate business partners, they sent fraudulent emails with payment and wire instructions, tricking victims into transferring money into bank accounts controlled by the group.
The indictment lists five unidentified victims, including a corporation in Coral Springs, a company in Suffolk, England, and an investor in Auckland, New Zealand. These entities reportedly wired over $7 million to accounts controlled by the group and their co-conspirators.
The group is accused of opening shell companies and bank accounts to receive the stolen funds. Authorities allege the scheme operated from August 2022 through March 2023, with the Coral Springs company alone losing over $1.3 million.
Nkwantabisa appeared in Fort Lauderdale federal court on Thursday and is scheduled for an arraignment and detention hearing next Thursday. Federal court records indicate that Amoh and Jouissance were also taken into custody in New York and Ohio, respectively, this week. Moore was not in custody as of Friday.
If convicted, all face decades in federal prison.