Ghanaian National Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding UConn

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that DICKSON ALORWORNU, also known as "Dixon Al," 36, a citizen of Ghana residing in Greenwich, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release for operating a tuition refund scheme using stolen identities.

According to the evidence presented during Alorwornu's trial, in December 2017, Alorwornu used other individuals' identities to submit two non-degree student applications to the University of Connecticut ("UConn"). He then used credit card information that had been stolen from three victims to fund the two student accounts with a total of more than $62,000 in fraudulently obtained funds. In early 2018, Alorwornu withdrew from the courses and requested that UConn refund the money he had deposited. UConn subsequently transferred approximately $46,000 to bank accounts Alorwornu controlled.

The investigation revealed that email accounts that Alorwornu used to defraud UConn were also used to defraud other universities of more than $500,000.

Alorwornu was arrested on February 1, 2023. On October 29, 2024, a jury found him guilty of two counts of wire fraud.

Alorwornu's criminal history includes a conviction in New York in 2017 for an offense involving his using stolen credit cards and other individuals' personal identifying information.

Alorwornu, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 20.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the UConn Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Chang and Elena Coronado.