Ghanaian authorities have arrested Joseph Kwadwo Badu Boateng, widely known by his alias “Dada Joe Remix”, following an extradition request from the United States tied to a far-reaching, decade-long international fraud conspiracy.
Boateng was apprehended on May 28, 2025, based on a grand jury indictment unsealed in the District of Arizona on May 30. The indictment accuses him of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Boateng is believed to have operated a global scam ring with co-conspirators from as early as 2013 to March 2023. The network allegedly defrauded elderly and vulnerable individuals, particularly in the United States, using romance and inheritance scams to swindle millions under false pretenses.
“These co-conspirators used fake romantic relationships and inheritance claims as part of a complex ruse to defraud individuals of their savings,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
The DOJ further revealed that victims were tricked into believing they were entitled to huge inheritances or owned valuable assets such as gold or jewels. To access these supposed riches, victims were told they needed to pay phony taxes, fees, or transfer costs, which were then pocketed by the fraudsters.
The FBI, which led the multi-year investigation, noted that the syndicate leveraged emotional manipulation and deceit, exploiting the trust and loneliness of their victims. The scams often began on social media or dating platforms, where fake personas were used to build false romantic connections.
The indictment against Boateng forms part of a broader initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to crack down on transnational criminal networks that target senior citizens, particularly through romance fraud and inheritance swindles—two scams that have become alarmingly common in recent years.
Boateng’s extradition proceedings are now underway, with close collaboration between Ghanaian and U.S. authorities under the terms of bilateral legal assistance treaties. If found guilty in the United States, he faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence under federal guidelines.
The DOJ emphasized, however, that Boateng remains innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
As the extradition process continues, the case has drawn attention both locally and internationally, sparking renewed concern over the rise in cyber-enabled financial crimes and the use of romantic and inheritance ploys to defraud unsuspecting individuals—especially the elderly.
