Global Courant 2023-05-04 06:09:58
A Ghanaian national pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday to stealing about $2.4 million from the Wisconsin Republican Party in a fraud scheme.
Paul Williams Anti, 59, was charged with embezzlement in February, online court records show.
According to court documents, scammers manipulated the email accounts of state GOP employees to divert money meant for sellers to the scammers’ bank accounts. Williams Anti reportedly controlled two of those accounts.
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A cybersecurity firm hired by the state’s GOP to investigate found that an employee’s email account had been altered so that any message containing the words “invoice,” “remittance,” or “bank” was automatically sent to an email address. mail folder would be moved which the scammers had access to.
Ghanaian Paul Williams Anti has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he stole $2.4 million from the Wisconsin Republican Party. (Fox news)
The scammers then increased the amount charged and the payee’s account information, then forwarded the messages to another GOP employee. According to the court, that employee unknowingly sent the money to fraudulent accounts.
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Court documents do not name the state’s GOP as a victim. But a party spokesman confirmed to the Wisconsin State Journal on Wednesday that the party was involved.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security arrested Williams Anti in New York City in February. He had 30 identification documents under nine different names, assistant attorney Meredith Duchemin said Wednesday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker ordered Williams Anti to remain in custody, calling him a flight risk. He noted that Williams Anti has family in Ghana and the United Kingdom.
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“If I let him out, he’d be gone in 60 seconds,” said Crocker.
Williams Anti could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
