A couple of international students from Ghana are in deep waters with the American police. Four students; Otis Opoku, Evans Oppong, Cyrilstan Nomobon Sowah-Nai, and Henry Dabuo are currently being held in Northampton County Jail on charges of forgery and theft of services.
The students allegedly forged high school transcripts to gain admission to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania (USA).
According to the university’s student newspaper (The Brown and White):
The four Ghanaian international students are currently awaiting preliminary hearings scheduled for Sept. 24. LUPD Detective Lieutenant David Kokinda was the arresting officer, according to three separate criminal complaints filed against Opoku, Sowah-Nai and Dabuo on Sept. 6.
Prosecutors are accusing the students of allegedly submitting transcripts to the Lehigh Admissions Office that reported higher grades than their high school transcripts.
The criminal complaint filed against Oppong is still being processed, according to the district court’s office.
According to the complaint against Opoku, he has been a student at Lehigh since 2022 and received a financial aid package worth $212,933.30.
Sowah-Nai has been a student at the university since 2023, according to the complaint against him, and was awarded $127,213.70 in financial aid.
Dabuo has also attended Lehigh since 2023 with a financial aid package worth $129,244, according to the complaint filed against him.
Lehigh Vice Provost of Admissions and Financial Aid Dan Werner, filed a forgery/fraud report with LUPD on Aug. 23, according to the affidavits.
Warner told police a Ghanaian International student applicant, Jude Dabuo — Henry Dabuo’s brother — was admitted to the university and was set to begin his college career this semester, the affidavits say. Warner also relayed to police that Jude Dabuo was 25 years old at the time of admittance. Noting how this was uncommon, the Admissions Office looked into his application further.
“The Admissions Office discovered concerning format, markings and spelling errors on Jude Dabuo’s transcript, leading them to question its validity,” according to the affidavits.
After rescinding his admission, the affidavits state that the office then looked into his younger brother’s credentials and found the same problems on his transcripts. With help from the U.S. Department of State, the office reached out to his high school in Ghana and obtained his transcripts. They claim to have found discrepancies.
According to affidavits, Henry Dabuo’s application mentioned that Opoku was a high school classmate, which prompted an investigation into his credentials. They claim to have found the same markings, format and spelling errors.
Jude Dabuo’s application also mentioned Oppong and Sowah-Nai, according to the affidavits, which prompted the Admissions Office to look into their application material.
The office obtained both students’ official transcripts from their respective high schools and claims the transcripts submitted in their applications were materially different.
Opoku, Oppong, Nomobon Sowah-Nai and Henry Dabuo are being held on $100,000 bail in Northampton County Jail, according to judicial records.
As of Monday morning, neither prosecuting nor defense attorneys have been assigned to the case, according to the district court’s office.
On Sunday, a GoFundMe page was created and shared on social media in support of the four students.
According to the GoFundMe page, organized by friends of the students, they were active members of the Lehigh community.
“They have been in prison for the past week and do not have the financial means to navigate this situation and advocate for their rights,” the page states.
Opoku and Oppong were placed on Lehigh’s Dean’s List for the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters, meaning they earned GPAs of 3.6 or higher.
The page creator wrote funding from the campaign will be used to file for bail reductions, fund commissary and basic needs, secure evidence for a bail review, and pay lawyer fees.
LUPD has declined to comment, and Lehigh University officials have not returned a request for comment sent Sunday evening.
A new GoFundMe has been shared after organizers said they paused the initial page to transfer responsibilities to an unknown organization. The previous fundraiser collected $9,075.
