GOLD MAFIA EXPOSED! Uganda’s Gemstone Refinery, Congo-based Crystal Mining Sarl & American National Named in Shock Multi-Billion Scam, Investors Cry Foul
KAMPALA—A sprawling, high-stakes gold fraud syndicate stretching from Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Dubai and Europe has been laid bare, with Uganda’s own Bukasa-Kampala Gemstone Refinery Ltd and Congo-based Crystal Mining Congo Sarl now at the centre of a scandal that has left foreign investors counting devastating losses.
At a time when Uganda is tightening the noose on gold scammers, fresh documents obtained by Red Pepper reveal a carefully choreographed scheme involving shadowy “export facilitators,” questionable contracts, and millions of dollars wired for gold that was never delivered.
The trail of deception begins in 2023, when a US national, Joshua Rosborough, approached Trinidad and Tobago national Joanna Fournilier and her husband, luring them into Africa’s booming gold trade. The pitch was seductive: Uganda, they were told, was a gold hub with ready supply and lucrative margins.
Rosborough, operating under the banner of Tier 1 Gold Refiners (SL) Ltd based in Freetown, Sierra Leone—presented himself as an experienced “export facilitator.” The company, registered at 16 Percival Street, was fronted by CEO Jay Rosborough, who would later become the key link between desperate investors and a deal that spiralled into chaos.
The hook was set through a series of calls and promises. Then came the bait—an initial investment of $150,000 plus “professional service fees” to secure gold. The couple, eager but cautious, looped in a friend, Daniel James Hahn, who in turn mobilised further interest.
On September 9, 2024, a decisive Zoom meeting was held. Jay Rosborough appeared and pitched the deal directly. Hahn expressed interest in purchasing two kilograms of gold. Commissions were promised. Confidence grew. Money began to move.
On September 20, 2025, $166,158 was wired to Tier 1 Gold Refiners for two kilograms of gold, alongside an additional $9,000 paid directly to Rosborough as “professional services.”
Then came the twist.
Rosborough allegedly informed the investors that Uganda Revenue Authority regulations would not permit shipment of just two kilograms. The goalposts shifted. Suddenly, the shipment had to be increased to at least 20-25 kilograms. The earlier payment would be bundled into a larger consignment.
The investors, already financially exposed, agreed.
A new agreement was executed.
On September 18, 2025, a formal Sales and Purchase Agreement was signed in Dubai—sealing what would later prove to be a phantom gold deal worth nearly $2 million.
The agreement brought together a cast of global actors: Congo’s Crystal Mining Congo Sarl as the “Seller” represented by Thomas Loko Mputu; Uganda’s Gemstone Refinery Ltd—represented by director Hellen Adrawa—as the “Seller’s Export Agent,”; Tier 1 Gold Refiners of Joshua Rosborough as “Export Facilitator,”; Spain-based Metales Y Rocas Barcelona 2011 S.L.U represented by Hahn as the “Buyer,” and Dubai’s PTF Global Project Management LLC as the “Consignee.”
The terms were clear on paper: 25 kilograms of gold bars, 96–97% purity, priced at $78,000 per kilogram, totaling $1.95 million. Shipment was to originate from Uganda and land in Dubai under CIF terms. Documentation requirements included assay reports, export licenses, URA tax receipts, and international certification.
Everything looked airtight. Everything looked official.
But it was all smoke.
And then—silence followed.
No gold was shipped even the earlier 2kgs paid for. No consignment reached Dubai. No refinery received any delivery. The entire transaction collapsed into a void, leaving behind only documents, excuses, and finger-pointing. In total USD 176,000 (about Sh 654.8m) was taken by the alleged scammers.
When contacted by Red Pepper, Rosborough claimed he too had been duped, alleging that Gemstone Refinery Ltd misled him and received the money directly. He insisted he believed he was dealing with legitimate operators and admitted to suffering financial losses himself.
Efforts to reach Hellen Adrawa, the face of Gemstone in the deal, hit a brick wall. When finally contacted, she flatly denied any involvement.
“Good evening Sir. Am not aware of the names mentioned above nor transaction. Plus, none of the names mentioned above have raised any concerns or queries to us [Gemstone Refinery] regarding any transaction,” she said.
Pressed further, she demanded proof.
“Kindly ask for the acknowledgement receipt because I don’t have any record of this from the office [of Gemstone Refinery].”
The denial has only deepened suspicion, especially as Rosborough maintains that Gemstone was a direct beneficiary of the funds.
Another fraud trail has also emerged also pointing at Gemstone and this time involving Al Sahab Jewellery Trading LLC, a jewellery outlet based in Dubai’s busy Al Daghaya/Deira district, just a stone’s throw from the Gold Souq metro station. Operating out of the HKH Hotel in the heart of the emirate’s gold trading hub, the firm has also been scammed. RedPepper will be unpacking this story in a subsequent publication.
Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl around Joshua Rosborough, a man said to hold dual passports from the United States and Sierra Leone. Is he a genuine gold export facilitator ensnared in a web of deceit, or a key player in a sprawling international gold fraud syndicate? That, too, remains a story for another day.
As this international drama unfolded, a parallel gold fraud case exploded in Kampala—further exposing the scale of Uganda’s gold scam crisis.
At the centre of that storm is Muhammad Ali, a man now remanded to prison over an alleged UGX 13 billion fake gold scheme that has triggered alarm across security agencies.
Ali, formerly a senior manager at Duck Hunters Security Company in Muyenga, was last week arraigned before Makindye Magistrates Court and charged with theft and cheating. Prosecutors allege that between September and October 2025, he orchestrated a complex fraud targeting Dubai-based investors, fleecing them of $3.5 million.
The victims had travelled to Uganda in search of gold and were introduced to dealers through Ali, who positioned himself as a trusted insider in the lucrative minerals trade.
In a chilling replay of the Gemstone-linked scheme, the investors first completed a smaller transaction—10 kilograms of gold worth $700,000. Trust was established. Then came the big hit: a 30-kilogram deal valued at $2.4 million, allegedly sourced from a “military officer.”
The gold was tested at Azzura Refinery and passed. It was stored at a high-security facility. Everything seemed legitimate.
Then it vanished.
Without a trace.
Investigators now believe these cases are not isolated incidents but part of a wider, highly coordinated criminal network exploiting Uganda’s booming gold trade.
Security agencies have identified a pattern: foreign investors are lured with polished presentations, introduced to “licensed dealers,” shown genuine gold samples, and convinced to make large payments. Once the money is secured, the gold disappears—or never existed at all.
The operations are sophisticated. Fake refineries. Counterfeit licenses. Staged laboratory tests. Luxury apartments in suburbs like Muyenga and Buziga turned into temporary “offices” of deception.
A 2025 crackdown uncovered at least 56 suspects tied to such schemes, described by authorities as “organized criminal enterprises.”
And the stakes are massive.
Uganda exported over 46,000 kilograms of gold worth nearly $3 billion between June 2023 and June 2024, according to Uganda Revenue Authority data. The sector is booming—but dangerously exposed.
Now, with names like Gemstone Refinery Ltd and Crystal Mining Congo Sarl surfacing in fraud allegations, the credibility of the entire industry is under threat.
Investigations are widening. The State House Anti-Corruption Unit, CID, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions are all on the case. Arrests are expected. Networks are being mapped.
But the biggest question remains unanswered:
Is Joshua Rosborough a victim caught in a web of deception—or a key player in a global gold fraud syndicate?
And how deep does this gold mafia really run?
As authorities dig deeper and more victims come forward, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Uganda’s gold rush has become a magnet not just for investors, but for some of the most sophisticated fraudsters operating across continents.
And this, insiders warn, is only the beginning.
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