Ghanaian socialite Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, has been extradited to the United States to face charges over his alleged involvement in an $8 million romance scam targeting elderly Americans.
His extradition follows an indictment by US authorities, who allege he was part of a criminal network that used artificial intelligence to create fake identities, establish online relationships with victims and fraudulently obtain money.
According to sources, Abu Trica was extradited in the early hours of Thursday, July 9, 2026, aboard a Delta Air Lines flight bound for New York.
Flight tracking data showed the aircraft departed Kotoka International Airport at 9:03 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 4:00 p.m. local time.
The extradition comes a week after the High Court in Accra ordered that he be handed over to US authorities to stand trial over the alleged romance fraud scheme.
Before his transfer, Abu Trica’s lawyer, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, claimed he had been denied access to his client and was informed that the socialite had fallen ill and had been taken to the Police Hospital.
In a Facebook post on July 8, Barker-Vormawor said his legal team had been unable to determine Abu Trica’s whereabouts for more than a week and warned they would file a writ of habeas corpus if access continued to be denied.
“It has been over a week; we haven’t been allowed access to Abu Trica as lawyers. We have no idea where he is being held, and Interpol, which first had custody of him, says they don’t have him,” he wrote.
Abu Trica had attempted to block his extradition through several legal applications, but the High Court dismissed his request.
His extradition proceeded despite a pending application seeking to halt the process, with the motion scheduled to be heard on July 10, 2026.
See flight details below:
