A former Drexel University professor allegedly spent money from research grant funds at adult entertainment venues, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's office.
Chikaodinaka D. Nwankpa, 57, was arrested last Monday and charged with robbery for illegal usurpation and theft for deception for taking $ 185,000 in research grants , according to state prosecutors. It was not clear what topics the subsidies should cover.
The former president of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Drexel University spent more than $ 96,000 on strip clubs and sports bars, in addition to 89,000 on food purchases and iTunes, the district attorney's office said in a statement.
A university audit showed that this veteran professor, who spent almost three decades in school, made numerous unapproved purchases between 2010 and 2017 that he tried to reimburse through research grants, according to state prosecutors. Nwankpa did not respond to requests for comment.
The professor tried to hide his visits to the strip club at midnight and early in the morning as catering and food expenses, according to the district attorney's office. The numbers showed that almost 50% of its 114 separate transactions were made on weekends, and 63% of those charges were processed between midnight and 2 am, state prosecutors said.
Larry Krasner, the city's district attorney, said Nwankpa betrayed the university and its students. "After a thorough investigation by the Economic Crimes Unit of our office, Mr. Nwankpa will have his day in Court and will have to answer for his crimes," Krasner said in a statement last Tuesday.
This is the second time that Nwankpa has been charged with questionable expenses in "gentlemen's clubs." In October last year, the university paid the Department of Justice $ 189,062 to resolve the 10-year allegations of improper expenses against federal grants from the Department of the Navy, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, according to the Department of Justice. Most of the money went to strip clubs in the Philadelphia area between July 2007 and December 2017, the Justice Department said.
The university informed the federal government of Nwankpa's misconduct and helped the Government's investigation into it. "This is an example of flagrant and bold fraud and shameful misuse of public funds," federal prosecutor William McSwain said in October. "The agencies that provide these grant funds expect them to be used to advance naval energy and technology for public benefit, not for personal entertainment," he added.
Drexel University agreed to pay the Government to resolve possible liability under the False Claims Act, a federal law that establishes responsibilities for defrauding the government.
Nwankpa reimbursed Drexel University $ 53,328 and resigned his position in the middle of the investigation. He was banned from hiring the federal government for six months. He works as an engineering consultant since June 2017, according to his LinkedIn account.
Niki Gianakaris, executive director of media relations at Drexel University, took seriously allegations of unethical or illegal business conduct by members of the university, he said in a statement to The Washington Post . "The University initially reported this situation to the US prosecutor's office and has worked in cooperation with federal and state investigations on the matter," he explained.
$ 30,000 in fines
Nwankpa joined Drexel in 1990 as an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. He became an associate professor in 1995 and holder in 2002. He earned his Master of Engineering Science from the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University in Russia and a PhD from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago.
In 2015 he was appointed director of the Center for Electrical Energy Engineering (CEPE), which supports the research and instruction program of the University of Drexel in academic areas associated with electrical energy and energy.
The research in its area was aimed at nonlinear dynamics associated with energy and electronics systems that lead to the development of stochastic models representative of renewable energy consumption and energy sources, the university explained.
Nwankpa was released after making a bail payment of $ 25,000 and agreeing to hand over his passport. It is not clear if he has obtained legal representation.
Your preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 29. If convicted of both charges, Nwankpa could face up to 14 years in prison and pay up to $ 30,000 in fines.
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