A Ghanaian man, Samuel Opoku, has been arrested in the United States over an alleged email fraud scheme that reportedly cost a church more than US$60,000.
Reports disclosed that Opoku was arrested alongside Ousmane Gassama Diaby, who is also accused of participating in the alleged scheme. Both men are facing criminal charges in connection with the case.
According to a report by FOX 5 Atlanta published on October 19, 2026, Diaby, who resides in Arlington, Virginia, had been wanted by authorities for several months while in Ghana before his eventual arrest.
Information gathered disclosed that the investigation began in 2025 when the Troup County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received a complaint concerning the loss of tens of thousands of dollars by a local church.
Investigators subsequently traced the funds to the two men, leading to Opoku’s arrest, while a warrant was later issued for Diaby.
Additionally, Diaby was eventually apprehended in October 2026 after law enforcement officers travelled to New Jersey to arrest him shortly after he arrived from Ghana.
According to Authorities, the suspects manipulated email communications and established fraudulent accounts to divert payments intended for a legitimate organisation.
The suspects allegedly redirected the funds into accounts they controlled and withdrew the money through ATM transactions.
Lt Stewart Smith of the Troup County Sheriff’s Office explained, “And what they did, they were manipulating emails, manipulating accounts where this church had a relationship with a previous organisation, and the church legitimately thought they were sending funds to this legitimate organisation.
“And what these two individuals were doing, they were creating other accounts and the money was being deposited in there, and they were able to take that and actually make cash transactions from ATM machines,” he said.
Diaby has been charged with multiple felonies, including five counts of identity theft, money laundering, theft by taking, and initiating deceptive commercial emails.
Opoku is also facing similar charges in connection with the alleged scheme.
In related news, President of the United States Donald Trump has announced a fraud whistleblower incentive program offering tipsters a 1% commission on uncovered fraud amounts.
According to Donald Trump, whistleblowers who expose fraud can receive up to $10 million for a $1 billion recovery.
Trump made the announcement in the Oval Office alongside Vice President JD Vance and independent journalist Nick Shirley.
The move forms part of the Trump administration’s move to intensify efforts to tackle the misuse of public funds.
Speaking in a video shared by Fox News, Donald Trump stated, “Here is what we are going to be doing. If you turn somebody in and you, let’s say, report, and you find $1 billion, we are giving a commission to that person of 1%. It’s a lot of money.
And if it’s 10 billion, 200 billion, 400 billion, we’re giving a 1% commission to that person. You have to prove that you were the one and prove that it was you”.
Some netizens reacting to Trump’s announcement stated, “We know exactly what to look for now.
Let’s expose every criminal scumbag.
This 1% commission is a great idea.
Incentivise passive neighbours to stop ignoring the criminals around them, wake up, and get active in exposing and rooting out crime!
Strong move + it’ll get results”.
Another X user added, “Brilliant idea. If a citizen exposes major fraud and saves taxpayers millions, why shouldn’t they share in the recovery? Alberta should study a program like this. Give people a real incentive to uncover waste and fraud, and make the system work for taxpayers”.
A netizen added, “I would like to report the federal government is defrauding us to the tune of about $2.4 trillion a year via the 16th amendment income tax.
I will gladly donate my one per cent commission back towards the federal debt”.
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