September 20, 2022
Ohio Man, Who Conned People Out of $800,000 Pretending to be African Prince, Convicted of Fraud
Daryl Robert Harrison, 44, was convicted of fraud on Friday, after pretending to be a Ghanaian prince—cue Semmi pretending to be Prince Akeem in Coming to America.
Harrison called himself Prince Daryl R. Attipoe and Prophet Daryl R. Attipoe, claiming to be a minister alongside his stepfather at Power House of Prayer Ministries.
Over the course of several years, the so-called prince conned 14 people out of money that totaled over $800,000. Harrison was convicted of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and witness tampering.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that according to court documents, Harrison deceived the victims into thinking they were investing in African trucking and mining companies with whom he had direct connections. The statement said many of the victims, who were expecting to receive up to 33% on their investments of Harrison’s scheme, were a part of the Power House of Prayer ministries. The ministry financially supports religious services in various church facilities along with private residences throughout the Greater Dayton area, Southwestern Ohio area, and Parker, Colorado.
A sentencing hearing is in Harrison’s future with 20 years of prison in the plans.
According to CNN, federal prosecutors affirmed that Harrison and his stepfather were unjust in their doings to enrich themselves and the PHOP ministry by “soliciting monies from investors using false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, and converting those monies for defendants’ personal benefit and for the benefit of PHOP without the knowledge or authorization of the investors.”
Prosecutors said Harrison “failed to provide investors with interest payments, routinely terminated all communications with investors, ignored individual investor inquiries, and ignored demands from investors seeking the return of investment monies.”