A United States District Court in California has ordered the interim forfeiture of a $2.5 million luxury mansion in Valencia, California, belonging to Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, a former senior official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The preliminary forfeiture order, signed on October 3, 2025, by Judge John Walter of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, directs that Mr. Okoronkwo’s right, title, and interest in the property located at 25340 Twin Oaks Place be seized and transferred to the U.S. government.
Court documents reveal that the mansion was purchased using illicit funds traced to a $2.1 million bribe Mr. Okoronkwo received in 2015 from Addax Petroleum, a subsidiary of China’s Sinopec, disguised as consultancy fees to secure favorable oil drilling rights in Nigeria.
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Okoronkwo was convicted in September 2025 on three counts including transactional money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice, following the federal indictment.
Prosecutors established a link between the criminal proceeds and the property, fulfilling the legal requirement for forfeiture.
The order empowers the U.S. Attorney General to seize and liquidate the asset while allowing for claims from any legitimate third parties.
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The forfeiture will become final upon sentencing scheduled for December 1, 2025, at which point the U.S. government will obtain clear title to the mansion.
This case forms part of ongoing international efforts by U.S. authorities to crack down on corruption and recover assets tied to unlawful activities by politically exposed persons from Nigeria and beyond.
