The Civil Society Coalition Against Fraud strongly warns the Liberia Football Association (LFA) to exercise caution and refrain from accepting any form of sponsorship or gifts from Mr. Cassell Kuoh, whose reputation is marred by serious criminal convictions, including wire fraud and money laundering.
The Coalition said it is alarmed by Mr. Kuoh’s flattering proposal, attempting to invest US$500,000 as a sponsorship package in the LFA National League, which we view as another calculated move to distract the public from his notorious history of fraudulent activities.
Mr. Kuoh, who has long been associated with elaborate financial schemes, poses a significant risk to any organization or individual who aligns with him, and the football house could be the next victim.
The group said since the introduction of Kuoh’s electric/ solar-powered three-wheelers kehkehs, in March 2024 when he boastfully announced that NEEV Liberia would train 100 young Liberians and empower another 150 young Liberians to ride, operate and own two-wheeler Kehkeh, it has been widely noticed that the operations of that company is another scam.
The Coalition realized that this promise, like many of Kuoh’s previous initiatives, is simply another form of showmanship intended to cajole the Government and lure public trust into his shady operations.
In light of this, the coalition cautions the LFA against accepting Kuoh’s latest proposal emanating from his New Electric Energy Vehicle (NEEV), an e-mobility firm established by him pointing out “Our background checks have revealed that Kuoh’s NEEV Liberia bears a resemblance to his previous fraudulent enterprise, the Phoenix Mining and Investment Group (PMIG), an alleged 419 gold and diamond firm that defrauded innocent investors of millions of United States Dollars.”
“As a result of him duping a US investor of US$9.5 million of which Kuoh was later convicted and sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for wire fraud conspiracy. He was ordered to pay US$16.2 million in restitution,” the group stated.
The group recalled that the FC Fassell CEO was later deported upon completing his sentence.
The Civil Society Coalition Against Fraud is deeply concerned that Mr. Kuoh’s current activities, including the publicized donation of large sums of money, are a calculated effort to divert public attention from his criminal past and launder his reputation. His dubious record of fraudulent investment schemes—particularly those involving gold and diamonds should serve as a clear warning to the LFA and all other institutions.
“We call on the LFA to resist any attempts by Mr. Kuoh or his associates infiltrate the sporting community. His history of sophisticated fraud, facilitated by alleged connections within the Liberian government, should disqualify him from any involvement in the nation’s beloved sport,” they expressed.
The group maintained that the LFA must recognize the dangers of affiliating with an individual whose criminal record is well-documented by U.S. criminal investigators. Mr. Kuoh’s past, marked by deception and the exploitation of vulnerable investors, should make clear that he has a wrecked-reputation to make any such investment in Liberian football or any sector where trust, integrity, and transparency are required.
The group then urged the LFA and other relevant stakeholders to be very mindful of Kuoh’s antics, and therefore, reject any proposal from a mafia-looking NEEV Liberia adding that the FA must ensure that the sport remains free from associations with criminally acquired wealth. Football in Liberia must be a platform of hope, discipline, integrity and fraud, not a vehicle to drive criminal financial influence.
