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A 31-year-old Ghanaian socialite, Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, who was arrested in December over his alleged role in an online romance scam valued at more than $8 million, has been remanded in prison.
Following his arrest in December, Trica was re-arrested by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) on January 29, 2026 and appeared in court on Wednesday. He is expected to return to court on March 18, 2026.
Trica sued the FBI, the Ghana Attorney General, the Interior Ministry, the Ghana Narcotics Control Commission (Narcoc), and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (Eoco) for alleged human rights abuses after he was arrested in December.Â
The 31-year-old accused the FBI and other security agencies of torturing him when his house was invaded and demanded GHc 10m ($909K) for damages. His legal representatives also alleged that the FBI interrogated him, collected his password, statement, signature and electronic access in the absence of his lawyers.
According to documents from the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the socialite was a member of a criminal network that targeted elderly victims in the United States from 2023.
Trica and his team allegedly used artificial intelligence software to create fake identities and build online relationships with unsuspecting elderly victims in the U.S through dating platforms, exploiting them into sending money and valuables under pretences.
Investigators also said that Trica played a major role in the criminal network by helping the team distribute funds transferred from Ohio to co-conspirators in West Africa and other locations.
Across the world, there are many people like Trica and his team who specialise in scamming vulnerable victims. News Central had reported that Interpol arrested 651 people, including members of criminal networks that defrauded hundreds of victims.Â
