Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering before a United States District Court following his extradition from Ghana.
The social media personality appeared before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, where he denied all the charges brought against him.
According to court documents, prosecutors allege that Abu Trica conspired with Daniel Yussif and other individuals in a romance fraud scheme that allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create fake identities, establish online relationships with victims and fraudulently obtain money.
The case is being presided over by Judge John R. Adams, who has scheduled the jury trial to begin on September 8, 2026. A pre-trial conference has also been fixed for August 25, 2026.
Court records indicate that both the prosecution and the defence may engage in plea negotiations before the trial if they choose to do so.
However, the court made it clear that any plea agreement must be reached before the pre-trial conference.
“Accordingly, the court will not accept plea agreements after the date of the pre-trial,” the court stated.
