Kelvin Owusu Nkwantabisa, a 33-year-old Ghanaian-American, has been handed a 17-year prison sentence by a Florida federal court for running a transnational Business Email Compromise (BEC) network that stole US$38 million from global victims.

Operating under the names "KO" and "Kevin Brown," Nkwantabisa managed the American division of the cybercrime ring. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, the group intercepted corporate email accounts to spy on pending financial transactions, allowing them to impersonate business partners and intercept payments.

Nkwantabisa was identified as the central coordinator who set up multi-state bank accounts, tracked the stolen wire transfers, and guided accomplices on laundering the money through shell companies. Because of his leadership role, he received the longest prison term among the group.

The court also sentenced three of his co-conspirators following their guilty pleas:

- Leshea Moore (Georgia, 29): Received over 11 years for managing shell organizations and transferring illicit funds.

- John Jouissance (Ohio, 33): Received a four-year sentence for registering fake businesses and accounts to absorb the stolen cash.

- Justice Amoh (New York, 37): Received three years for utilizing aliases to set up bank accounts and move money under Nkwantabisa’s orders.

US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones stated that the ring systematically violated the trust of legitimate businesses to siphon millions, emphasizing that these sentences serve as a warning against exploiting the American banking system.

The successful prosecution followed a cybercrime investigation spearheaded by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Fort Lauderdale.