Ghanaian businessman Alhaji Fareed Amin Yakubu has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in absentia for fraud.
The 38-year-old businessman was fined GH¢12,000 or, in default, to serve two years for issuing false cheques.
Reports by the GNA detailed, “The court, presided over by Justice Bright Samuel Acquah, delivered the ruling on Wednesday.
Yakubu pleaded not guilty to charges of defrauding by false pretences and two counts of issuing false cheques but absconded after being granted bail.
A bench warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest. After two years without success in tracing him, the prosecution applied for a trial in absentia.
The court granted the request, in line with Article 19(3)(a) of the 1992 Constitution, which allows such proceedings under specific circumstances.
At the end of the trial, the court found Yakubu guilty and sentenced him accordingly.
The prosecution said Yakubu collected GH¢3 million from Madam Darling Tuffour in April 2021 under the pretext of investing in an oil business, promising to repay the amount.
On May 18, 2021, he issued a cheque for GH¢2,100,000 drawn on Stanbic Bank, which was dishonoured due to insufficient funds.
He later issued another cheque for GH¢1,050,000 on September 24, 2021, drawn on First Atlantic Bank, which was also dishonoured.
The complainant, a businesswoman residing at East Legon, reported the matter to the Police after efforts to locate Yakubu failed, as he had vacated his office and his whereabouts were unknown.
Prosecution said Yakubu later reported to the Police after his details were published in the media”.
In related news, Dickson Alorwornu, also known as “Dixon AI,” a 36-year-old Ghanaian student based in the United States, has been jailed after he was found guilty of engaging in a tuition refund scam.
The information gathered from the US Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut, Dixon AI has been sentenced to 48 months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release for operating a tuition refund scheme using stolen identities.
Dickson Alorwornu is said to be a resident of Greenwich and created student accounts with stolen identities.
The Attorney’s Office detailed that stolen credit information was used to fill these accounts with money and asks for refunds under the guise that he was no longer interested in the courses.
In a statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut, read, “Ghanaian National Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding UConn
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that DICKSON ALORWORNU, also known as “Dixon Al,” 36, a citizen of Ghana residing in Greenwich, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release for operating a tuition refund scheme using stolen identities.
According to the evidence presented during Alorwornu’s trial, in December 2017, Alorwornu used other individuals’ identities to submit two non-degree student applications to the University of Connecticut (“UConn”). He then used credit card information that had been stolen from three victims to fund the two student accounts with a total of more than $62,000 in fraudulently obtained funds. In early 2018, Alorwornu withdrew from the courses and requested that UConn refund the money he had deposited. UConn subsequently transferred approximately $46,000 to bank accounts Alorwornu controlled
The investigation revealed that email accounts that Alorwornu used to defraud UConn were also used to defraud other universities of more than $500,000.
Alorwornu was arrested on February 1, 2023. On October 29, 2024, a jury found him guilty of two counts of wire fraud.
Alorwornu’s criminal history includes a conviction in New York in 2017 for an offence involving his use of stolen credit cards and other individuals’ personal identifying information.
Alorwornu, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 20.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the UConn Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Chang and Elena Coronado”.