U.S. Court Orders Forfeiture of California Mansion Linked to Former NNPC Official in $2.1 Million Bribery Scandal
Story: written Daniel October 22,2025
A U.S. District Court has ordered the temporary forfeiture of a luxury home in California belonging to Paulinus Okoronkwo, a Nigerian-American and former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), now NNPC Limited, after concluding that the property was purchased with proceeds from a $2.1 million bribery scheme.
The decision, delivered by Judge John Walter on October 3, followed Okoronkwo’s conviction in September for money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice. Court records show that Okoronkwo received $2.1 million from Addax Petroleum — a Swiss subsidiary of China’s state-owned Sinopec — in exchange for granting favourable drilling rights in Nigeria while serving at NNPC.
Prosecutors told the court that the payment, made in October 2015, was disguised as “consultancy fees” and sent to a law firm trust account controlled by Okoronkwo in Los Angeles. Further investigation revealed the funds were illicit payments routed through falsified company records, with Addax executives allegedly deceiving auditors and dismissing staff who raised concerns.
The former NNPC executive, who later ran a law practice in Los Angeles’ Koreatown area, allegedly used nearly $1 million from the bribe to pay for a high-end residence at 25340 Twin Oaks Place, Valencia, California, identified legally as Tract Number 45433, Lot 12 (Assessor’s Parcel Number 2826-143-004). He also failed to declare the funds in his 2015 U.S. tax filings.
The court ruled that there was a direct connection between the Valencia property and Okoronkwo’s financial crimes under 18 U.S.C. §1957, authorizing the U.S. Attorney General to seize the asset under federal forfeiture laws. A public notice has been issued inviting any parties with legitimate claims to the property to come forward within 60 days.
Okoronkwo is scheduled for sentencing on December 1, where he faces possible prison time and additional monetary penalties.
The case has drawn widespread attention in both the U.S. and Nigeria, underscoring ongoing international collaboration to clamp down on corruption in the oil and gas industry and trace illicit financial flows. If confirmed, the forfeiture will represent another major U.S. action targeting cross-border bribery and corruption linked to Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
