New details contained in United States court documents have shed more light on the allegations against Ghanaian lawmaker Ohene Kwame Frimpong, popularly known as OK Frimpong, in an ongoing federal criminal case involving alleged romance scams, bank fraud and money laundering.
Frimpong, the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, is named in an 18-count US indictment alongside alleged co-conspirators. According to the court documents, investigators have been examining the movement of funds allegedly obtained from victims through fraudulent online relationships and fabricated inheritance stories.
The allegations remain before the courts, and Frimpong is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
FBI investigation reportedly began in 2019
According to the documents reported by GhanaWeb, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating the alleged activities in 2019.
The indictment accuses Frimpong and other individuals of targeting several victims, identified in the court papers as Victims A through F. The alleged schemes reportedly involved creating false romantic relationships and using stories about gold, diamonds and inheritances to persuade victims to send large amounts of money.
An 18-count indictment was eventually brought against the accused. The charges include allegations relating to wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.
The case was unsealed in December 2025, while an arrest warrant for Frimpong had reportedly been issued earlier.
Restaurant accounts allegedly used to receive funds
One of the key elements described in the court documents is the alleged use of bank accounts connected to a Chicago restaurant.
The indictment states that an account associated with New Grace Restaurants was opened at Great Lakes Credit Union in July 2020. Prosecutors allege that the account subsequently received money linked to the alleged romance fraud operation.
In one transaction highlighted in the documents, Victim C allegedly transferred $515,000 into the account.
Another account linked to Grace Restaurants Ltd was allegedly established in August 2020. Court documents claim that Victim F later transferred $480,612 into that account.
The indictment further alleges that more than $400,000 from the latter account was subsequently transferred to business accounts in China and India.
Victims allegedly lost substantial sums
The court documents describe several alleged transactions involving the identified victims.
Victim C is alleged to have transferred more than $2 million over a series of transactions. According to the indictment, individual payments included $515,000, $500,000 and $250,000.
Another alleged victim, identified as Victim F, reportedly sent more than $480,000 after being presented with a story involving a multimillion-dollar inheritance in diamonds.
Victim D is also mentioned in the documents in connection with transfers totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors allege that multiple bank accounts were used to receive, move or withdraw the funds after they were sent by the victims.
Gold and inheritance stories allegedly featured in the schemes
The indictment also provides details about the alleged stories used to convince victims to part with their money.
In one case, a victim was reportedly led to believe that a romantic partner had access to a substantial inheritance involving gold and diamonds but required money to cover taxes, fees and other expenses.
Another alleged scheme involved claims about gold bars supposedly inherited from a father’s mining operation in South Africa.
According to the court documents, these narratives were used to persuade victims to make repeated payments over extended periods.
Money allegedly moved through several countries
The alleged transactions were not limited to a single financial institution or country.
The indictment describes the use of several US bank accounts, including accounts associated with companies and individuals allegedly connected to the scheme. Some funds were allegedly transferred outside the United States, including to China, India and Ghana.
One transaction cited in the court documents allegedly involved the transfer of more than $167,000 from a US account to a Ghanaian bank account said to be controlled by Frimpong.
Prosecutors contend that the movement of funds formed part of an effort to handle proceeds allegedly generated through fraudulent activities.
Arrest and ongoing legal proceedings
Frimpong was detained in the Netherlands in May 2026 in connection with the US case. His detention prompted Ghana’s Parliament and diplomatic authorities to engage with officials in the Netherlands.
Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has also previously said that Ghana’s mission in The Hague was working with Dutch authorities, Frimpong’s family and his legal representatives regarding the matter.
The US case remains unresolved, and the allegations contained in the indictment have yet to be established at trial.
The emergence of the detailed court documents nevertheless provides a clearer picture of the financial transactions prosecutors say are connected to the alleged romance-scam operation involving the Ghanaian legislator and other accused persons.
