Zayd Issah

Zayd Issah. Joe Hermitt, PennLive.com

Central Dauphin High School football star and Penn State linebacker recruit Zayd Issah is in trouble with the law.

Police in Susquehanna Township have filed multiple charges, including felonies, against Issah for an alleged scheme to pass counterfeit money at a local McDonald's restaurant.

It was not immediately known how, or if, the arrest will affect Issah's prospects at Penn State.

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PennLive has placed calls to Issah's mother, Erika Frank, and to Penn State's athletics department seeking comment.

Township Police Chief Rob Martin confirmed Thursday that Issah, 18, was arrested after an alleged attempt on March 9 to pass counterfeit money was reported at the McDonald's in the 4400 block of North Front Street.

According to arrest papers filed with District Judge James Lenker, Issah and two other suspects fled when police were called to the scene. The other two suspects were later identified and apprehended and both of them implicated Issah in the alleged scheme, police said.

They said the other suspects, long-time friends of Issah, said Issah had passed counterfeit bills at two locations.

Police said Facebook messages between Issah and one suspect were intercepted and proved that Issah knew the money was fake and that he solicited a plan to "clean" it. The bogus cash was used to buy the three food at local fast-food restaurants, police said.

Issah was charged on March 10 with two felony counts each of forgery and conspiracy to forgery and four misdemeanor charges of theft by deception.

A preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled for May 9. A staffer at Lenker's office said no attorney had yet made an appearance to represent Issah, a Central Dauphin senior.

Issah is one of the key recruits in Penn State's 2013 recruiting class.

Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico said he has been told that Issah is cooperating with the township police in the counterfeit cash investigation.

He said it is unlikely that Issah would receive a jail sentence even if convicted of the alleged crimes.

"As a first-time adult offender he's likely looking at a probationary sentence or a diversionary program," Marsico said.

He said Issah might be eligible for the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, a probation and community service-base program that allows nonviolent first-time offenders to avoid criminal records.

The district attorney's office recommends whether someone should be admitted to ARD, and if Issah would apply "the onus would be on him to show us he's a worthy ARD candidate," Marsico said.

"We would look at his case like we would any other case," he said.

Township police said Issah, of the 1900 block of Colonial Road; Devacio Mcgowan, 18, of the 200 block of Saddle Ridge Drive in the township; and Brandon Wallace, 19, of the 2300 block of Berryhill Street in Harrisburg, passed counterfeit $20 bills.

Police said they were called when the trio tried to do the same at the drive-thru window of the North Front Street McDonald's. Workers at the restaurant provided the license number and a description of their vehicle, police said.

All three men face the same charges, police said, and all were cooperative with officers and were released on $1,000 unsecured bail.

This post has been updated from an earlier version.