A Rhode Island woman has been convicted for her involvement in an international money laundering scheme. Jennifer O. Djan, a 32-year-old Ghanian national living in Pawtucket, was found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple counts of money laundering, as announced by United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Djan reportedly registered a business and opened several bank accounts to facilitate the laundering of fraudulently obtained funds. Much of this money ended up with individuals in Ghana. Her sentencing is set for April 22, 2025. The jury's decision came after four-and-a-half hours of deliberation following six days of testimony.
“By laundering money for a ring of scammers, this defendant played a critical role in helping fraudsters bilk innocent victims across the United States out of their hard-earned savings to enrich herself and her co-conspirators overseas,” stated U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “I am pleased that a federal jury had no problem seeing through her attempt at deception, and that today she faces the richly deserved conviction.”
Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, commented on Djan's actions: “Jennifer Djan not only conspired with others who blatantly defrauded unsuspecting victims across the country who were looking for companionship and hoping for a better financial future, she tried to conceal her criminal cash flow by laundering millions of dollars through multiple bank accounts here in the U.S. and in Ghana.”
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that starting from September 2020, Djan established what was claimed to be a "logistics" business operating from an apartment she shared with family members in Pawtucket. She quickly began setting up business checking accounts associated with this supposed enterprise to receive fraudulent proceeds both directly from scam victims and other conspirators.
Despite lacking any infrastructure or legitimate operations related to logistics services, large amounts of money flowed into these accounts before being moved out swiftly—sometimes transferred directly to co-conspirators' accounts within the U.S or Ghana.
Additionally, evidence showed that Djan traveled frequently between the United States and Ghana over several months while managing fraud proceeds both domestically and abroad.
In November 2022, authorities executed a search warrant at Djan’s residence but found no records indicating legitimate business activities.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julianne Klein and John P. McAdams. Following her conviction, Djan was ordered detained pending sentencing which will be determined based on federal guidelines along with other statutory considerations.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Complex Financial Crimes Task Force alongside assistance from North Providence Police Department.