Ghanaian national accused of embezzling $2.4 million from Wisconsin-based GOP has pleaded not guilty

A Ghanaian national pleaded not guilty in federal court on Wednesday to stealing about $2.4 million from the Wisconsin Republican Party in a wire fraud scheme.

Paul Williams Anti, 59, was charged with embezzlement in February, online court filings show.

According to court documents, scammers compromised the email accounts of state GOP employees to divert funds intended for sellers to scammers’ bank accounts. Williams Anti allegedly controlled two of those accounts.

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A cybersecurity firm that the state GOP hired to investigate found that an employee’s email account had been altered so that any message containing the words “bill,” “wire transfer,” or “bank” was automatically converted to a email folder that scammers could access.

The scammers then inflated the amount charged and the payee’s account information, then sent the messages to another GOP employee. According to court records, this worker unknowingly transferred the money to fraudulent accounts.

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Court documents do not name the state GOP as a victim. But a party spokesman confirmed Wednesday to the Wisconsin State Journal that the party was involved.

The US Department of Homeland Security arrested Williams Anti in New York City in February. Assistant US Attorney Meredith Duchemin said on Wednesday that he had 30 identification documents under nine different names.

US Judge Stephen Crocker ordered Williams Anti to remain in custody, labeling him a flight risk. He noted that Williams Anti has family in Ghana and the UK.

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“If I let him out, he’d be gone in 60 seconds,” Crocker said.

Williams Anti faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.