A Maryland-based Ghanaian woman has been sentenced to 70 months in a United States federal prison for her role in a romance scam that defrauded victims across the country of more than $1.6 million.
Nana Takyiwa Adonu, 43, of Odenton, Maryland, received the sentence on July 22, 2026, in the Southern District of Iowa.
According to court documents, Adonu was part of a criminal conspiracy that used fake profiles on dating websites and social media to trick victims into sending money.
To handle the stolen funds, Adonu operated a shell company known as Han-Dak LLC, which received money from victims who believed they were helping a romantic partner.
Investigators said many victims lost their life savings. Some emptied their retirement accounts, sold their homes and vehicles, returned to work after retirement and borrowed money from friends and family.
One victim in Iowa alone lost more than $55,000.
Court documents also showed that Adonu tried to mislead investigators after being questioned by the FBI.
She claimed Han-Dak LLC was a legitimate garment production company in China. She later submitted fake invoices and customer lists in response to a federal grand jury subpoena in an attempt to obstruct the investigation.
In addition to her prison sentence, Adonu was ordered to pay $1,655,640.76 in restitution. She will also serve three years of supervised release after completing her prison term.
Her co-defendant, Naabanyin Aniagyei-Cobbold, was sentenced in March 2026 to 108 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution.
“Romance scammers exploit victims when they are at their most vulnerable,” said Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Omaha Field Office in a statement.
“They prey on innocent people by convincing them a relationship is real, then slowly abuse that trust to steal their life savings. This case is an egregious example of the ruthless persistence exhibited by scammers who enrich themselves at the expense of vulnerable people”.
