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Ghana man gets prison in Peace Corps swindle
Ghana man gets prison in Peace Corps swindle
African man gets prison in Peace Corps swindle
A West African man was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for swindling a Peace Corps volunteer out of thousands of dollars in a scam that promised the Bay Area man a $10 million return on a bogus investment.
Moses Ofei, 38, of Accra, Ghana, was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme between May 2001 and May of this year, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Ofei and others recruited the former Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana to help transfer a fictitious $50 million cash ``consignment'' out of the country for overseas investment. They charged the man thousands of dollars in advance fees and promised him a 20 percent stake of the $50 million deal. They also requested a $300,000 payment to obtain a so-called ``final certificate,'' but investigators arrested Ofei when he showed up in the Bay Area to finalize the deal. He pleaded guilty in exchange for a 20-month sentence.