Former United States Army officer Sanda G. Frimpong, of Ghanaian descent, has been sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for his involvement in laundering proceeds from romance scams.
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Frimpong, aged 33, was convicted on three counts of money laundering on September 14, 2023. He has also been ordered to pay restitution to victims amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to a report from the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, dated April 18, 2024, Frimpong and his accomplices participated in a series of sophisticated romance scams.
They assumed false identities, including romantic partners, diplomats, customs officials, and military personnel, to gain the trust of their victims.
These scams involved false promises of romantic relationships, inheritance sharing, or other fictitious scenarios aimed at deceiving victims into providing money or property to the perpetrators.
Frimpong played a key role in laundering the illicit proceeds, channeling hundreds of thousands of dollars through his various bank accounts across state lines and connections in Ghana.
Notably, Frimpong was an active-duty Army servicemember stationed at Fort Bragg during the commission of these offenses until shortly after his arrest in 2023, as revealed in the report.
The report as captured on justice.gov:
Sanda G. Frimpong, 33, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution to victims for laundering the illicit proceeds of an elaborate series of romance scams. Frimpong pled guilty to three counts of money laundering on September 14, 2023.
“Romance scammers exploit our most vulnerable citizens, even our seniors and military veterans, sometimes leaving them financially and emotionally devastated,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.
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“The fact that an Army servicemember was involved in romance scams while serving as a soldier is appalling. We are partnering with the Department of Defense to drum out fraudsters and money launderers like Frimpong from our military ranks and put them in prison where they belong.”
“Integrity is a core tenet of the armed forces and when servicemembers choose to compromise their integrity for greed, it tarnishes the reputation of all others serving in uniform,” stated Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office.
“DCIS and its law enforcement partners will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold those accountable who cheat government programs and use online scams to prey on the most vulnerable.”
Frimpong and other conspirators, engaged in elaborate scams, impersonating romantic love interests, diplomats, customs personnel, military personnel, and other fictitious personas for the purpose of ensnaring their victims by earning their confidence, including promises of romance, sharing of an inheritance or other riches, or other scenarios intended to fraudulently induce the victims to provide money or property to the conspirators.
Frimpong then laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds of these frauds through his various bank accounts across state lines and through his contacts in Ghana. Frimpong was also an active-duty Army servicemember stationed at Fort Bragg during the commission of the offenses up until shortly after his arrest in 2023.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III announced the sentence. Defense Criminal Investigative Service led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka prosecuted the case.
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