CONTACT:      Barbara Burns

PHONE:         (716) 843-5817

FAX:            (716) 551-3051

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Nana Dwomah Yeboah, 34, a citizen of the Republic of Ghana, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with assaulting and resisting federal law enforcement officers and possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute. The charges carry a maximum penalty of eight years in prison and a fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on the morning of December 24, 2017, Customs and Border Protection Officers were conducting a routine patrol of the Greyhound bus station on Cumberland Street in Rochester. Officers observed the defendant enter the bus station, place a package on a bench in the lobby area, and exit the station, leaving the package unattended. After several minutes, the officers searched the abandoned package to ensure that it did not pose a threat to the public. Inside, the officers discovered a quantity of marijuana that appeared to be packaged for sale. After several minutes, Yeboah returned to the area and was questioned by the officers, who quickly determined that he was not a U.S. Citizen. As officers attempted to detain and further identify the defendant, he fled the station, leading the officers on a short chase. Yeboah was ultimately apprehended, but proceeded to fight the officers for several minutes, causing one of the officers to suffer facial injuries that required treatment at Rochester General Hospital.

The defendant, who made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Feldman, was held in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for January 16, 2018. 

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Rose Brophy, Director of Field Operations, with assistance from the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli. 

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.