Federick Kumi also known as Abu Trica has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of money laundering and defrauding by false pretense in a United States District Court.
Using AI-generated identities, Abu Trica and one Daniel Yussif allegedly conspired to create phony online connections, trick victims into trusting them, and then ask for money for made-up crises, trips, or investments.
Since 2023, prosecutors said, Kumi has been engaged in a criminal organization that uses complex love scams to prey on elderly Americans. The gang used sophisticated AI techniques to create convincing online identities, which they then used to form emotionally charged, long-distance relationships with their victims, according to the indictment.
Justice John R. Adams, a district court justice in the Northern District of Ohio, has declared September 8 as the commencement date for the jury trial. In the interim, August 25, 2025 has been designated for a pre-trial conference.
Court documents indicate that the accused is permitted to negotiate a plea agreement prior to the commencement of the jury trial.
Abu Trica was arrested on December 11, 2025, during a joint operation involving Ghanaian security agencies and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
