JUST IN: US court jails Nigerian lawyer for seven years over alleged money laundering
A United States district court has sentenced Paulinus Okoronkwo, a dual US-Nigerian citizen, to more than seven years in prison for money laundering linked to a $2.1 million bribe.
Okoronkwo, 58, was convicted in August by a federal jury on three counts of money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1957, as well as tax evasion and obstruction of justice.
In January, the State Bar suspended his law licence on an interim basis following the conviction.
Prosecutors said Okoronkwo accepted the bribe while serving as a general manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, a state-owned oil company.
According to court filings, the bribe was allegedly paid by Addax Petroleum, a Switzerland-based subsidiary of Sinopec, a Chinese state-owned petrochemical conglomerate.
Prosecutors said Addax wired $2.1 million to Okoronkwo’s legal trust account in October 2015, purportedly for consulting services related to securing drilling rights in Nigeria.
They alleged that the payment was disguised as legal fees through an engagement letter listing a fake Lagos office address.
In a sentencing memorandum filed last month, prosecutors recommended a 10-year prison term.
“Defendant…was more fortunate than most. In the United States, he was a member of the state bar and maintained a successful legal practice. And in his native Nigeria, he leveraged his connections to secure a prestigious role as a general manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation…, a state-owned entity and the largest corporation in the country. But defendant wanted more, and when Addax Petroleum found itself in difficult straits, he was all too eager to accept a $2.1 million bribe to help it secure favorable drilling rights,” the memorandum read.
They added: “After betraying the people of Nigeria, defendant[] committed various crimes in the United States to cover his tracks: he laundered the bribe money through his [trust] and shell company accounts; he intentionally left it off his tax return; and, when interviewed by federal agents, he lied to them. For this conduct, defendant was convicted after a four-day jury trial on all five counts of the [the operative] Indictment….”
Prosecutors said that between 2016 and 2018, Okoronkwo used the funds to pay family expenses, purchase a vehicle and make a $983,000 down payment on a home in Valencia, California.
John F. Walter, judge of the US district court for the central district of California, ordered Okoronkwo to pay $923,824 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and forfeiture of $1.03 million.
