‘Conman’ claiming to be a Ghanaian prince standing trial in US court for $800,000 scam

Directly: whether by blood or by birth, he is not a Ghanaian, but as prosecutors would tell a US court, Daryl Attipoe claims to have been “adopted” by a royal family in Ghana.

The man described as a classic “conman” in a bizarre investment scheme is currently standing trial at the US District Court, Dayton, Ohio, in an $800,000 case.

The trial is set for December 5, 2022, a report by zerohedge.com has said.

Paper and money trails led investigators to the unsuspecting criminal schemes of the “conman”; Daryl Robert Harrison, popularly known as “Prince Daryl Attipoe” and “Prophet Daryl Attipoe.”

Presenting the details of the case to the court, assistant U.S. Attorney Dwight Keller told jurors that the alleged illegal activities date to 2014.

This was after Harrison’s stepfather, Robert S. Harrison Jr., registered two businesses in Ohio: the nonprofit Power House of Prayer Ministries, and a for-profit corporation called New Max Groups.

The report further indicated that court records show that “from 2015-2020, Daryl Harrison solicited investors for New Max, sometimes instructing them to make checks payable to the ministry.”

It added that Daryl and his stepfather used the funds to buy luxury vehicles, airplane tickets, hotel accommodations, trips to Africa, rental cars, and monthly rent payments exceeding $3,000 for his 5,100-square-foot home in Parker, Colorado, where he lives with his wife, and six children.

Indicted almost two years ago, Daryl Harrison will be tried on sixteen (16) charges: conspiracy to engage in mail fraud and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, and three counts of witness tampering.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwight Keller also explained the modus operandi of Harrison, adding that he swooped in on them at supermarkets, fitness centers, religious gatherings, and “even a car wash.”

At such locations, he targeted people who were “vulnerable” in some way —inexperienced, greedy, or “flat-out gullible,” she added.

“Through fast talking and slick salesmanship, they were hoodwinked into investing with him,” she added.

And on his part, the report, continued, Harrison gave promises of outrageously high rates of return ranging from 28 percent to 33 percent a year to his unsuspecting investors, assuring them that their monies would remain safe, secure, and accessible to them.

But when investors asked questions, demanded account statements, or sought refunds, Harrison typically made himself scarce, Keller said.

She also stated that they had in their possession many documents and 23 so-called “contracts” written in a manner that was unsophisticated, “sophomoric” and “borderline buffoonish,” mostly written in Harrison’s own handwriting, to support the allegations.

Christopher Deal, who is a lawyer for Harrison, told jurors that his client’s “investments are legit” and that there were only some “unforeseen setbacks,” including the Coronavirus pandemic that prevented him from making good on his business promises.

He added that his client can rightfully call himself “prince” because a royal Ghanaian family befriended and then “adopted” him.

The case will be determined by Judge Michael J. Newman on December 5.