Dayton man faces 20 years for African prince fraud scheme

NBC - 4 WCMH (Columbus, OH)

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A Dayton man is facing up to 20 years in prison for a fraud scheme in which he pretended to be a Ghanian prince to steal more than $800,000 from his victims.

Daryl Harrison, 44, was convicted to 10 counts of various federal fraud crimes. He was convicted of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and witness tampering, according to a Sept. 19 release from attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

According to court documents and trial testimony, from January 2014 until September 2020, Harrison defrauded victims who thought they were investing in African trucking and mining companies.

Harrison pretended to be a royal prince from the African national of Ghana, introducing himself as both Prince Daryl Attipoe and Prophet Daryl Attipoe.

He told investors that he had direct connections with these companies, and that they could expect an investment return of 28 to 33 percent.

Harrison and his stepfather claimed to be ministers with Power House of Prayer Ministries, which sponsored religious services in various church facilities and private residences throughout the Dayton area and Parker, Colorado. Many investor victims were members of the congregation.

Harrison routinely withdrew thousands of dollars in cash from the Ministries bank accounts shortly after receiving investments. He and his stepfather used the investment funds to rent a house in Colorado, purchase luxury vehicles, airplane tickets, hotel accommodations and rental cars.