Los Angeles, California – A lawyer from the Los Angeles area has been convicted of accepting a $2.1 million bribe while acting as an officer in Nigeria’s state-owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The jury found Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, also known as “Pollie,” guilty on multiple charges, which include transactional money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice.
Okoronkwo, 58, of Valencia, specialized in immigration, family, and personal injury law at an office in Koreatown. Serving as general manager of the upstream division of the NNPC, he was responsible for overseeing the state’s fossil fuel and natural gas projects, representing a significant position of public trust and fiduciary duty to the Nigerian government.
The bribery scheme unfolded in October 2015 when Addax Petroleum, a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned enterprise Sinopec, transferred over $2.1 million to Okoronkwo’s law firm. The payment was disguised in legal documents as compensation for his consultancy work in securing beneficial drilling rights for Addax in Nigeria. Evidence indicated that the company feared potential losses amounting to billions if they were unable to secure advantageous terms.
Prosecutors revealed that the agreement, including a fake Lagos address for the law office, was designed to mislead about the nature of the payment, which was essentially a bribe. Further attempts to conceal the scheme emerged as Addax misrepresented the payment as legal fees, lied during audits, and dismissed questioning executives.
In a twist that highlighted the audacity of the operation, Okoronkwo misused nearly $1 million of the illicit funds to purchase a house in Valencia in 2017, a move he later failed to disclose on his federal tax return for 2015. In June 2022, Okoronkwo also misled federal investigators, claiming the funds were client money rather than his own income.
U.S. District Judge John F. Walter has scheduled Okoronkwo’s sentencing for December 1. The charges he faces carry serious penalties, including up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of illegal monetary transactions and obstruction of justice, as well as up to five years for tax evasion. Currently, he remains out on a $50,000 bond.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation, with support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys from various departments focusing on fraud and asset recovery.
This significant case underscores the ongoing issues of corruption in international business dealings, particularly involving officials in state-owned enterprises.
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