Former NNPC Manager Jailed in US for Money Laundering, Tax Evasion

A United States District Court has sentenced former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation official, Paulinus Okoronkwo, to 87 months in prison for his role in a $2.1 million bribery scheme linked to oil drilling rights in Nigeria.

US authorities disclosed in a statement on Monday that the court also ordered Okoronkwo to pay $923,824 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, the judge directed the forfeiture of $1,039,997, representing proceeds from the sale of his residence in Valencia, California.

Okoronkwo, a Nigerian-American and former general manager in the upstream division of NNPC Limited, was convicted in August 2025 on charges of transactional money laundering, tax evasion and obstruction of justice.

According to prosecutors, Okoronkwo exploited his position at NNPC by receiving funds from Addax Petroleum, a Switzerland-based subsidiary of Sinopec. The payment, wired in October 2015 to his Los Angeles law firm’s trust account, was presented as consultancy fees but was determined to be a bribe intended to secure favourable oil drilling rights in Nigeria.

Investigations revealed that nearly $1 million from the illicit funds was used as a down payment for a property in Valencia, California. Authorities also found that Okoronkwo failed to declare the money as income in his 2015 tax return.

In October 2025, the court approved a forfeiture request by the US government for the property located at 25340 Twin Oaks Place, Valencia, California.