A U.S.-based Ghanaian woman, Nana Takyiwa Adonu, has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison after being convicted of defrauding Americans of more than $1.6 million in an elaborate romance scam scheme.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the conviction in a statement on Thursday, stating that the 43-year-old played a significant part in a fraud scheme that specialised in creating dating profiles on social media, which were used to lure U.S. citizens.

“Nana Takyiwa Adonu, 43, of Odenton, Maryland, played an integral role in an extensive romance scam conspiracy. As part of the scam, individuals create fake profiles on internet dating sites and other social media platforms to exploit victims for financial gain,” the DOJ said.

The government alleged that Ms Adonu received the proceeds from the scams through Han-Dak LLC, a company she operated to manage the scheme’s financial transactions. One of the victims living in the Southern District of Iowa was defrauded of over $55,000 alone.

Many of the victims were individuals whom Ms Adonu allegedly coerced into draining their retirement accounts and selling their homes and vehicles under the false belief that they were sending money to genuine romantic partners. Some of them were even forced to return to work after retirement or borrow substantial sums from friends and family.

Prosecutors stated that when Ms Adonu was confronted by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, she insisted that Han-Dak LLC was a legitimate garment production company producing clothing in China.

She also provided fake business documentation in response to a federal grand jury subpoena, which the government described as an attempt to obstruct the federal investigation.

During a sentencing hearing on July 22, Ms Adonu was condemned to 70 months’ imprisonment in a federal prison. She was also ordered to pay over $1.6 million in restitution and must serve a three-year term of supervised release.

The verdict came months after her co-defendant, Naabanyin Aniagyei-Cobbold, was sentenced in March to 108 months’ imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and ordered to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution.

Eugene Kowel, special agent in charge of the FBI Omaha Field Office, stated, “This case is an egregious example of the ruthless persistence exhibited by scammers who enrich themselves at the expense of vulnerable people.”