Fake Cheque

Ghanaian in US arrested for $50,000 cheque scam and weapons smuggling
Stephen Yawson, during his arrest

Stephen Yawson, during his arrest

A Ghanaian resident of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, Washington County in the US has been arrested for cheque scams and automatic weapons smuggling.

The man was arrested Thursday February 26, 2009 following a seven-hour police standoff outside his home on accusations he orchestrated a widespread counterfeit cheque-cashing ring. He is also accused of running guns from Florida, according to the Observer Reporter.

According to the reports, 31-year-old Steven Mensah Yawson was charged with 49 counts of forgery in a scam in which authorities say people cashed phony pay cheques from three companies, netting more than $50,000. Most of the alleged crimes occurred in December 2008.

He was the sixth person to be arrested in the sting, whose alleged members included his girlfriend, Stacy Nicholas, 22.

Authorities said Yawson, is listed on alumni records at California University of Pennsylvania as having earned a bachelor’s degree as well as a master’s degree in business administration from the school.

Police said he also indicated his employment with Global Real East Inc., a company that doesn’t exist.

He is reported to have obtained ink and cheque paper with watermarks to produce phony cheques from some companies. The companies affected are Thermo-Rock East, Columbia Gas and Customer Contact Inc. He allegedly gave others the cheques to cash.

Earlier in February, Charleroi police arrested John Greer of Monessen after his alleged co-conspirator told police she took part in a counterfeiting scam with Greer involving cheques from Thermo-Rock East. Greer was charged with multiple counts of criminal conspiracy, theft and forgery, the reports say.

A criminal complaint stating the charges against Yawson says police also believe he was involved in shipping crates of automatic weapons from Florida for distribution in Pittsburgh or New York City.

A neighbour, Shirley Gray of 209 Prospect Ave., said police came to her home about 9 a.m. and told her she would have to leave before authorities tried to arrest Yawson.

Gray said Yawson communicated with police from a window and made a hand motion indicating he wasn’t coming out. Four hours into the standoff, Charleroi police received assistance from a state police Critical Emergency Response Team. Members of the U.S. Secret Service also were at the home before Yawson surrendered peacefully.

Yawson faces additional charges of receiving stolen property, theft and criminal conspiracy. He was arraigned before District Judge Larry Hopkins, who placed him in Washington County Jail on $250,000 bond, the reports said.

Charleroi police later seized computer equipment and business records but found no drugs or weapons inside the home.

Another accomplice, Daniel W. Poole, 21, of McClellandtown, was arrested two weeks ago for his alleged role in the scam. A woman identified as Julia Star in court records was arrested after admitting to being paid for cashing some of the checks, but she has yet to be arraigned.

Meanwhile, police have a warrant to arrest Nicole Johnston, 21, of Lowber, as an accomplice, the reports say.

The U.S. Secret Service is cooperating in the investigation and more arrests are expected to be made, police said.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi



Updated August 31/09

Ghanaian Man arrested in US for using fake money

Ghanaian man arrested in US for using counterfeit money
A Ghanaian man has been arrested in the US for using counterfeit money.

The man, Godford Sumabe who was said to have used the counterfeit money in Cascade and Teton Counties is now in custody in Denver according to news from Montana.

Sumabe reportedly arrived in Great Falls from Ghana March 16, 2009 and the next day, he bought a service truck from Bouma Truck Sales in Choteau with $35,000 in cash and asked that the truck should be delivered to Florida.

The reports said he flew to Denver that night paying $700 in counterfeit for the plane ticket, but the ticket agent became suspicious about the money and called the police.

When he was about to leave for Ghana, Sumabe contacted the truck company Bouma and spoke about the truck, but he was arrested in Denver and he faces federal and state charges.

The media in Montana quoted Neal Bouma, owner of Bouma Truck Sales explaining that Sumabe, “was interested in a service truck we had because he was in the rental business in Ghana and he needed this truck for servicing his equipment.”

He added, “my salesman talked to him for a short period of time and then he never heard from him again for about four or five days, and the next time we got a phone call, it was supposedly from U.S. Customs in New York City - they wanted an address for where this guy was headed.”

According to Bouma not all of the $35,000 was counterfeit; he’s been told by police and the Secret Service that most of it was real, and he says the truck never left Choteau. He’s not sure if the call he received from Customs was legitimate.

It’s not known if Sumabe is connected with other recent counterfeit schemes in Great Falls and Helena, the reports say.