159:. After the Ghanaian mission refused to pay the nearly a $ 2,644 bill he'd accumulated, he was sentenced to prison for posing as a diplomat and stiffing a hotel. It was probably during that stay in prison that he acquired many of the skills that later allowed him to create his great fraud scheme. In 1974, faced charges for using a fraudulently obtained university degree and trying to cash $ 250,000 in stolen bank drafts. He fled to Ghana ahead of an arrest warrant. In Ghana, he was sentenced to seven years for fraud and bribery. He was later released under shady circumstances.
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for London. He was arrested for being in possession of 7,700 US dollars and £940 sterling which he allegedly failed to declare. Blay-Miezah also managed to convince
Acheampong’s government of 47 billion in Swiss Banks. He was also given a Diplomatic Passport by Acheampong's government and shortly
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In May 1997, High Court declared that the will of Blay-Miezah presented by Dr John R. Kells, a confidant, was valid. This decision was appealed but the Appeal Court in
November, 1999, upheld the decision by a two-one majority. In 2001, Supreme Court revoked the probates granted by an Accra High
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In 1979, his party, People's
Vanguard, was issued a provisional certificate of registration by the Office of the Electoral Commissioner. His party didn't gain any credibility and the initials of his party were popularly said to mean Pay Voucher.
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and a master's degree in international relations. Shortly after returning to Ghana in 1963, he was arrested and sent to Nsawam Prison for making vague claims about a threat to
President Nkrumah's life. In 1966, after Nkrumah was overthrown in a
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ran a piece on him saying that despite accumulating close to $ 1 billion using his story, he had not paid a dime. He died before authorities had an opportunity to get back any of the money he'd stolen.
162:
In 1974, he claimed that he had inherited 160 million dollars from Daniel
Wilbold Layman and announced at a press conference that he planned to invest 6 million dollars in various projects in the
88:. He claimed to be worth $ 47 billion. From the 1960s to 1980s, he is said to have swindled over $ 200m from victims in North America, Europe, and Asia. He was named "the Ultimate Con Man" by
280:
135:. Later he would successfully appropriate the identity of a former roommate—claiming a change of name—and for a time be recognized as having received a bachelor's degree from the
95:
He claimed to be the sole beneficiary of the "Oman Ghana Trust Fund" and that in order to access the funds, he needed money. He claimed that the trust was endowed by
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government in Accra and died on 30 June 1992. Even in his death he sowed confusion among his family by claiming that he had some $ 15 billion in an offshore bank.
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In 1986, he was jailed in Ghana on a charge of economic sabotage. He allegedly worked with Robert Ellis to run the fraud since 1972.
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in 1941. In 1959 he migrated to the United States, settling in
Philadelphia, claiming he was following in the footsteps of
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After PNDC took over, he managed to convince government of the scheme and his
Diplomatic Passport was renewed. He went to
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155:. By 1972 he had returned to Philadelphia, claiming to be a diplomat and set himself up at the
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Anansi's Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed
Washington, and Swindled the World
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Anansi's Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed
Washington, and Swindled the World
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99:. He promised to pay $ 10 for every $ 1 he received. His supporters included
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556:"Meet Africa's First Con Man, John Ackah Blay-Miezah; NAM1's 'Grandfather'"
24:
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By the early 1970s, he was variously claiming to be a
President of the
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Sternberg, Robert J.; Roediger, Henry L.; Halpern, Diane F. (2007).
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272:""Anansi's Gold" examines one of the world's biggest con artists"
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Crime Signals: How to Spot a Criminal Before You Become a Victim
480:
Crass Struggle: Greed, Glitz, and Gluttony in a Wanna-Have World
18:
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Service, United States Joint Publications Research (1979).
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687:"Supreme court revokes decision on Blay-Miezah's will"
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229:, and Mr F. K. Mensah, nephew of the Blay Miezah.
151:or a medical doctor, and the son of noted jurist,
217:He was put under house arrest for deceiving the
131:, while in actuality working as a waiter at the
303:"African man wanted in swindle - UPI Archives"
201:. They returned empty-handed and embarrassed.
8:
107:and several of Nkrumah's cabinet ministers.
328:"Writing The Book On 'Con Men' - CBS News"
115:John Kolorah Blay was born into a humble
507:Daily Graphic: Issue 7633 April 30 1975
262:
448:
436:
424:
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283:from the original on 9 October 2023
721:People from Eastern Region (Ghana)
540:Translations on Sub-Saharan Africa
166:area. In 1975, he was arrested at
14:
665:. St. Martin's Publishing Group.
23:
566:from the original on 2019-10-30
510:. Graphic Communications Group.
483:. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP.
376:Critical Thinking in Psychology
362:. Graphic Communications Group.
356:Addo-Twum, J. K. (1978-09-01).
338:from the original on 2023-03-26
225:Court. The appeal was filed by
560:Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news
379:. Cambridge University Press.
1:
504:Nkrumah, I. K. (1975-04-30).
659:Givens, David (2013-11-19).
589:. The Sydney Morning Herald.
168:Kotoka International Airport
80:, 1941–1992) was a Ghanaian
326:Crean, Ellen (2003-01-13).
182:after relocated to Europe.
174:as he was about to board a
16:Ghanaian conman (1941-1992)
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129:University of Pennsylvania
586:The Sydney Morning Herald
526:. Embassy of Ghana. 1978.
359:Daily Graphic: Issue 8668
632:Benson, Michael (2009).
621:. Eugene Register-Guard.
157:Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
149:African Development Bank
638:. Infobase Publishing.
38:, as no other articles
731:20th-century criminals
477:Naylor, R. T. (2013).
404:. London: Bloomsbury.
400:Yeebo, Yepoka (2023).
242:. London: Bloomsbury.
238:Yeebo, Yepoka (2023).
84:. He was a pioneer of
74:John Ackah Blay-Miezah
726:Confidence tricksters
618:Eugene Register-Guard
227:Dr Ebenezer Ako-Adjei
605:. The Afro American.
466:. The Afro American.
127:in studying at the
736:Ghanaian criminals
554:Online, Peace FM.
279:. 23 August 2023.
153:Robert Samuel Blay
119:family in Ghana's
57:for suggestions.
47:to this page from
672:978-1-4668-5778-0
645:978-1-4381-1659-4
602:The Afro American
490:978-0-7735-4172-6
463:The Afro American
439:, p. 144–45.
386:978-0-521-84589-2
207:In January 1989,
133:Union League Club
86:advance-fee fraud
78:John Kolorah Blay
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691:Modern Ghana
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195:Kojo Tsikata
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62:October 2023
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716:1992 deaths
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142:coup d'état
705:Categories
570:2024-03-23
523:Ghana News
449:Yeebo 2023
437:Yeebo 2023
425:Yeebo 2023
342:2024-03-23
312:2024-03-23
257:References
210:60 Minutes
90:60 Minutes
82:con artist
53:; try the
40:link to it
287:9 October
111:Biography
101:Ako Adjei
43:. Please
564:Archived
336:Archived
281:Archived
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76:(born
36:orphan
34:is an
193:with
172:Accra
164:Nzema
117:Nzema
667:ISBN
640:ISBN
485:ISBN
406:ISBN
381:ISBN
289:2023
244:ISBN
219:PNDC
197:and
307:UPI
170:in
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