Fred Asante, a Ghanaian living in the United States, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to conduct money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum possible sentence, in this case, in this case, is mandated by Congress and is offered here for informational reasons only since the court will decide the defendant’s sentence.
The 36-year-old agreed to pay a $647,488 money judgment and to renounce his interest in about $323,646 seized by the American government from his bank accounts, as well as a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG seized by the government, under the conditions of his plea deal.
The suspect will be sentenced on May 18, 2022, according to the US Department of Justice.
On October 15, 2021, Mr Asante’s co-conspirator, Lord Anning, also of Ghanaian descent, pled guilty to conspiracy to conduct wire fraud and will be sentenced on February 28, 2022, at 4:30 p.m.
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, revealed that Fred Asante pled guilty to conspiracy to conduct money laundering for his participation in a criminal operation located in Ghana that included the theft of tens of millions of dollars.
Mr. Asante was arrested in Virginia on February 17, 2021, and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff. Since his capture, he has been detained.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “Fred Asante admitted today to laundering money from victims of various fraud schemes, including cruel scams targeting elderly online daters searching for companionship.
“Compounding the disappointment of learning their potential soulmate was indeed nonexistent, Mr Asante’s victims later found they were also targets of a Ghana-based criminal enterprise netting over $35 million in illegal proceeds.
“We implore the millions of Americans looking for someone special online to use extra caution, and be especially beware if solicited for money or other personal information.”
Mr. Williams congratulated the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, for their exceptional investigative work.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorneys Sagar K. Ravi, Katherine Reilly, and Mitzi Steiner.
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SOURCE: myjoyonline
