COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Lewis Center man pleaded guilty in federal court today for his role in conspiring to launder the proceeds of online romance scams for roughly two years. He also admitted to fraudulently misapplying CARES Act loan funds to buy himself boats while out on release from his initial charges.

 

Eric Ahiekpor, 50, was indicted by a grand jury in June 2020 and charged by a superseding bill of information in May 2021.

 

In total, as part of the romance scams, bank accounts under Ahiekpor’s control received more than $2.4 million in criminally derived funds.

 

Kwame Yeboah, 37, of Columbus, has also pleaded guilty in the money laundering scheme. Robert Asante, 36, of Canal Winchester, was charged in the money laundering scheme and is awaiting trial.

 

According to court documents, individuals committing fraud created several profiles on online dating sites. They then contacted men and women throughout the United States and…

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