Four Ghanaian students were arrested in the U.S. after allegedly forging high school transcripts to secure admission and financial aid at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania. The students, Otis Opoku, Evans Oppong, Cyrilstan Nomobon Sowah-Nai, and Henry Dabuo, face charges of forgery and theft of services. Their bail was set at $100,000 each. The investigation began when discrepancies were discovered in the transcripts of Henry Dabuo and his brother, Jude Dabuo, which led university officials to review other Ghanaian student applications.
The four students had received substantial financial aid, with Opoku receiving over $212,000, and the others awarded between $127,000 and $129,000. Prosecutors allege the students submitted falsified transcripts, significantly inflating their grades to gain admission and financial aid. University officials found the forged documents were “materially different” from the original transcripts provided by their schools in Ghana.
The students were arrested on September 6, 2024, and are currently in Northampton County Jail, with their next court appearance scheduled for September 24, 2024. This case has sparked discussions around vetting processes for international student admissions and the integrity of financial aid applications at U.S. universities