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A Ghanaian social media influencer, whose real name is Frederick Kumi, has been extradited to the US for allegedly running a romance scam that defrauded Americans of more than $8m (£5.9m).
He denied all the charges against him.
Prosecutors say he used it to create fake online identities, target victims on social media and dating sites, gain their trust and then extort money from them.
Comey was extradited to the United States on Thursday and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of wire fraud and money laundering.
Comey’s lawyer, Oliver Bakker-Vormauer, told the BBC that Comey had appeared in court on Thursday to stop the extradition before learning he had been extradited aboard a Delta Air Lines flight.
Barker-Vormauer accused Ghana’s government of ignoring the court’s ruling and “abandoned judicial oversight” and said the decision to extradite Khomein “raises deep constitutional questions”.
The Ghanaian government has yet to comment.
Kumi has long been offering luxury goods online to his more than 100,000 Instagram followers.
This raised doubts about the sources of income.
U.S. prosecutors said victims were allegedly targeted through frequent and intimate conversations on social media and online dating platforms.
This escalates to “falsifying requests for money or valuables – such as urgent medical needs, travel expenses or investment opportunities.”
The funds, or valuables, are given to accomplices masquerading as third parties. Kumi distributed the money to his colleagues in America and Ghana.
Kumi, who hails from the town of Swedru in southern Ghana, was arrested last year in a joint operation between Ghana and the United States.
There is some dispute about Kumi’s real age, the lawyer says that he is 28 years old The US Attorney is 31, External.
The case was filed under the US Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act.
US authorities have stepped up their crackdown in recent months on criminal networks operating in the US and West Africa that attempt to defraud elderly Americans.
Last week, a Ghanaian fraudster was transferred Joseph Kwadwo Badu Boateng – Dada Joe remixer – pleads guilty in US, External To use romance and inheritance schemes to deceive Americans.
In December, a US court sentenced Nigerian Oluwase Adekoya, the ringleader of a nationwide bank fraud and money laundering conspiracy, to 20 years in prison for defrauding him of more than $2 million.
Additional reporting by Natasha Buti
