On March 20, 2026, the Troup County Sheriff’s Office arrested Samuel Nana Opoku from Fairfax County, Virginia, who is charged with Money Laundering, Theft by Taking (Felony), five counts of Identity Fraud, and Initiation of Deceptive Commercial Email.
Investigators determined that Opoku was part of a criminal enterprise responsible for a business email scheme that defrauded a local church of over $60,000. The suspects impersonated financial advisors associated with a legitimate financial institution and used spoofed email accounts to misdirect funds into a fraudulent business account under their control.
After obtaining the funds, the suspects transferred the money through additional accounts created using stolen identities in an effort to conceal and distribute the proceeds. Investigators further determined that the suspects used the identities of church staff to create additional deceptive email accounts to target other potential victims.
Opoku was initially arrested on November 22, 2025, in Fairfax County, Virginia, by the Virginia State Police and was extradited to Troup County on March 20.
This investigation remains ongoing, and additional warrants have been issued for other individuals involved. The Troup County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Virginia State Police, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, and Arlington County Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.
