“They often say that the best way to sell something is not to let people know that you’re trying to sell something — and he was great at that," said Ryland Bowman Ellen, Harrison’s biological son. “He sold an idea, dreams. He sold a better life.”
Harrison thrived on deception but his internet history seemed legitimate enough to earn people’s trust.
“If you go online and start Googling things, well, he had a LinkedIn account,” said Josh Sweigart, Dayton Daily News editor of investigations and solutions journalism, in the episode. “His LinkedIn page referenced him as Crown Prince. There’s multiple Ghanian websites that referenced this Daryl Attipoe. There are people by that name in Ghana. If you just kind of did a little bit of research there’s stuff online that made it look like, hey, he kind of looks like a real deal, according to these websites.”
The episode also showcased Peggy Braun, one of Harrison’s victims. She first met him in 2016 during her shift as a Kroger cashier.
“He kept coming through my line,” Braun said. “He acted like a charming guy.”
Braun said Harrison asked her if she would be his business partner in the New Max Group, a mining company. She agreed and gave him a money order for $50,000 payable to Power House of Prayer, a ministry Harrison was associated with.
“He was so convincing because he made it sound like I was going to be really wealthy and could do whatever I wanted,” Braun said.
Credit: Butler County Jail
Credit: Butler County Jail
Harrison ultimately swindled her out of more than $500,000.
“Someone screwed me out of that much money — it’s going to take me a long time to process because I should’ve known better," Braun said.
Mosley acknowledged Braun’s courage in telling her story.
“When people think of fake prince scam stories they tend to be comical to us,” Mosley said. “After meeting Peggy Braun, I am truly devastated. This woman has such a kind heart and Daryl took advantage of it.”
In March 2023, Harrison was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Dayton to the maximum 20 years in prison. He will spend the next two decades in federal prison for defrauding at least 14 victims of more than $800,000.
Harrison was found guilty following a September 2022 jury trial of 10 federal fraud crimes including mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and witness tampering.
“Harrison — falsely holding himself out to be a royal prince from the African nation of Ghana — told investors he had direct connections with these companies, and that they could expect an investment return of 28- to 33%,” according to the office of U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker of the Southern District of Ohio.
Sweigart hopes this case continues to draw attention to the importance of reporting fraud.
“I was happy to participate and talk about our coverage of this case,” Sweigart said. “And I appreciate the victims who were brave enough to come forward and tell their stories. Reporting on fraud cases like this is extremely important to help other people know what warning signs to look out for, and hopefully prevent more people from becoming victims.”
“Scam Goddess” is also streaming on Hulu.
Jen Balduf contributed to this report.
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