US court filings have detailed how Asante Akyem North Member of Parliament, Ohene Kwame Frimpong, allegedly used a family-owned restaurant and shell companies in Chicago to receive and move more than US$2 million in proceeds linked to romance scams.
According to the filings, Frimpong, popularly known as OK Frimpong, allegedly operated the money-laundering scheme with co-conspirators including Shadrack Yaw Gyasi and Martin Misinu, targeting victims through fabricated romantic relationships and false stories involving inheritances, gold and diamonds.
The allegations form part of an 18-count federal indictment in the United States. The case reportedly dates back to an FBI investigation that began in 2019.
Restaurant account allegedly used to receive funds
The court documents allege that on July 21, 2020, Frimpong opened an account at a Chicago credit union in the name of New Grace Restaurants, a restaurant he had inherited from his parents.
Prosecutors allege that the account was subsequently used to receive fraudulent proceeds.
On August 26, 2020, a victim identified in the filings as Victim C allegedly transferred US$515,000 into the restaurant account.
The filings further allege that Frimpong and a co-conspirator later established another account in the name of Grace Restaurants Ltd, described as an Illinois shell company.
On December 4, 2020, Victim F allegedly transferred US$480,612 into that account.
Five days later, prosecutors allege, Frimpong and a co-conspirator travelled to Chicago and subsequently caused two transfers of approximately US$200,027 each from the account to business accounts in China and India.
Further alleged transfers
The indictment also details additional transactions allegedly involving Victim C.
According to the filings, Victim C transferred US$250,000 into a Chase Bank account on February 25, 2021, followed by another US$250,000 on March 3.
Prosecutors allege that Frimpong subsequently directed a co-conspirator to withdraw US$30,000 in cash and purchase Apple products using funds from the account.
The filings also allege that another victim, identified as Victim A, transferred a total of US$500,000 in two payments in April and May 2021. Further transfers were allegedly made through accounts connected to a shell entity known as AJ Plums LLC.
In transactions involving Victims D and E, prosecutors allege that funds were received through accounts opened in the name of another fictitious entity, Allsop LLC, before portions of the money were transferred to Ghana.
The indictment alleges that on April 1, 2022, approximately US$167,210 was transferred from one of the accounts to a Ghana-based bank account allegedly controlled by Frimpong.
Victims allegedly deceived through romance stories
The court filings describe alleged schemes in which victims were approached through purported romantic relationships and persuaded to send large sums of money.
In the case of Victim F, prosecutors allege that the victim was led to believe that a romantic partner known as “Hannah Garvey” was attempting to access an inheritance involving gold and diamonds worth between US$40 million and US$50 million.
The victim was allegedly asked to provide money to facilitate the transfer of the supposed inheritance. Prosecutors say more than US$480,000 was ultimately obtained from the victim.
Frimpong was arrested in the Netherlands in May 2026 after arriving at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Ghana’s Parliament subsequently confirmed his detention and said it was engaging Ghana’s diplomatic mission in The Hague for information on the matter.
Frimpong has denied wrongdoing, previously rejecting reports linking him to romance-scam allegations. His case remains pending, and the allegations contained in the US indictment have not been proven in court. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
