Ghana man known as ‘Dada Joe Remix’ pleads guilty to running romance scam in Arizona

A Ghanaian man known as “Dada Joe Remix” has pleaded guilty to running a decade-long romance scam that targeted elderly Americans. The scheme caused roughly $4.4 million in losses, federal prosecutors said.

Joseph Kwadwo Badu Boateng pleaded guilty last week in a U.S. District Court in Tucson to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

From 2013 to March 2023, Boateng used online dating sites, social media and text messages to build fake romantic relationships with elderly victims across the country. Boateng told victims they had received an inheritance of gold and jewels, then demanded payments for bogus taxes and fees to release the items.

Court records list at least 18 victims, with individual losses ranging from $12,000 to $1.5 million.

Boateng was arrested in Ghana and brought to the U.S. in June 2025.

His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 8 in a Tucson federal courthouse. Under the plea agreement, the longest prison sentence he can get is nine years.

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