U.S. court orders FBI to seize $1 million Chimaroke Nnamani stole in last-minute looting of Enugu treasury


U.S. court ordered the FBI to seize about $1 million stolen by Senator Chimaroke Nnamani as part of massive looting of public funds he embarked upon days before leaving office as Enugu governor in 2007, court documents recently obtained by Peoples Gazette said.

Mr Nnamani, representing Enugu East Senatorial District, had stolen the funds from his impoverished state coffers and used proxies to wire-transfer them from Nigerian banks to bank accounts he fraudulently opened with AmSouth Bank in Orlando, Florida, according to forfeiture affidavits submitted by special agents of the FBI.

The previously unreported fraud cases were instituted against Mr Nnamani before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama barely days after he left office in May 2007 and wound up two years later in May 2009.


The FBI said Mr Nnamani, who was elected governor and sworn in as Nigeria returned to civil rule in May 1999, started looting Enugu treasury by the early aughts. Although the FBI and Nigerian anti-graft office EFCC seized property and cash assets laundered by Mr Nnamani in separate proceedings in the U.S. and Nigeria, respectively, both law enforcement authorities said they have yet to determine how much the Nigerian politician actually plundered from his state while its residents languished in poverty.

While the FBI was only able to trace about $41.8 million in stolen funds that Mr Nnamani laundered abroad, the EFCC successfully confiscated billions of naira from the Nigerian senator, who also carries American citizenship, including the N5.3 billion seized via a federal court order in July 2015.

From the latest documents obtained by The Gazette, American authorities said Mr Nnamani moved $961,184.27 in 21 tranches in the course of four days leading to his departure from Enugu State Government House as he concluded his two-term mandate due on May 29, 2007.

On March 15, 16, 21, and 30, 2007, Mr Nnamani pilfered the illicit funds through eight Nigerian banks, including Standard Chartered Bank, Fidelity Bank, Sterling Bank and since-defunct Platinum Habib Bank (PHB), to the U.S. AmSouth Bank (now Regions Bank), where Mr Nnamani had previously opened 20 accounts with Chinero Nwigwe, his sister and alleged co-conspirator.

Some of the 21 fraudulent transactions listed in the FBI complaint filed in October 2007 included $63,964 on March 15 from Platinum Habib Bank in Nigeria to AmSouth Bank account number 7966914620; $64,964 on March 15 from Platinum Habib Bank to AmSouth Bank account number 7966914620; $56,189 from Platinum Habib Bank to AmSouth Bank account number 7966914647 on March 15; $25,772 from Fidelity Bank to AmSouth Bank account 7966914655 on March 15; and $21,975 wired on March 21 from Sterling Bank to AmSouth Bank account 7966914728.

The FBI said nearly two dozen companies linked to Mr Nnamani were used to move the stolen funds, including Jasmine Group, Rock City Group, Hill Gate LLC, Parmon Oil and Gas Ltd, Boskel Nigeria Ltd, Rainbow Assoc. LLC, Tollman Allied Services, Capital Index Ltd, Universal-Sodexho Nigeria Ltd, Intecon Partnership Ltd, The Ferguson Group LLC, Elizabeth Group LLC.

“It is unlikely that Chimaroke Nnamani possesses an adequate source of legitimate income to account for the acquisition of the defendant funds,” the FBI said, adding that “additional investigation has failed to identify a legitimate source of income for Chinero Nwigwe to account for the transfer of funds alleged herein.”

“The defendant funds held on deposit in the twenty named bank accounts are the subjects of, or otherwise were involved in numerous financial transactions conducted by, or at the direction of Chimaroke Nnamani for the purpose of concealing or disguising the nature, the location, the source, the ownership or the control of the proceeds of “specified unlawful activity” in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(B)1(1).

“Therefore, the defendant funds are subject to forfeiture to the United States of America pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(A),” the FBI further stated in its affidavit.

When it became apparent that the Nigerian politician’s legitimate earnings could not account for the millions of dollars in his possession after a drawn forfeiture proceeding that spanned about two years, Judge William Acker issued a consolidated ruling ordering the seizure of the illicit funds as well as forfeitures of Mr Nnamani’s assets to the U.S. government on May 13, 2009.

The Gazette on Tuesday reported the forfeiture of the Nigerian politician’s lush Heathrow, Florida, residence, which he purchased with $1.8 million cash after stealing and laundering $41.8 million from the southeast Nigeria state’s coffers.

Mr Nnamani, who has recently branded himself as a moral, responsible leader devoid of the corrupt behaviour that has long been typical of a Nigerian politician, did not respond to The Gazette’s request for comments regarding his unreported U.S. corruption case, which came days after he was named a senior member of Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign council.

Despite the fact that his criminal records were preserved in the records of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Mr Nnamani on Tuesday sponsored a statement across several Nigerian newspapers, claiming no such case existed and that the report came from “political foes and professional blackmailers.”

Despite failing to show any evidence of his claims, Mr Nnamani managed to induce at least a dozen Nigerian reporters with cash bribes to promptly circulate his falsehood across their media outlets, marking yet another manifestation of the brown envelope menace that has plagued the country’s media space for decades.

It was unclear why the Nigerian government did not seek repatriation of the multimillion-dollar cash and asset forfeitures of Mr Nnamani’s loot from the U.S. government to the people of Enugu, who could use the funds if tied to education, health or other human development projects. A spokesman for Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, whose office chases return of stolen funds stashed abroad, did not return a request seeking comments.

https://gazettengr.com/u-s-court-orders-fbi-to-seize-1-million-chimaroke-nnamani-stole-in-last-minute-looting-of-enugu-treasury-2/

This are the people supporting Tinubu

Bunch of thieves with no dignity

I'm not surprised though because Tinubu himself is a thief

Anybody supporting Tinubu is a thief

No wonder APC compensated him

Seriously

Can u imagine?

thief

Nnamani that was dragging tom-tom with small Rinu and doing vawulence online these past few weeks has been very quiet since this story broke out. I hope he's okay

US I trust una. I love this act of honesty

Bad guys will never support Peter Obi, we know him as a Criminal.


APC Urchins how far na

Us shouldn't only seize it that money should be return to federal government with immediate event

NaijaRoyalty:
This are the people supporting Tinubu

Bunch of thieves with no dignity

I'm not surprised though because Tinubu himself is a thief

at least Tinubu's own forfeiture was $460k, how can this wicked man move $1m from a state with chronic water issues ?

RZArecta:
Nnamani that was dragging tom-tom with small Rinu and doing vawulence online these past few weeks has been very quiet since this story broke out. I hope he's okay

1 million dollars na your mate...he is in coma right now, make I go his TL go ask him how far

Non of you are able to explain the source of peter obi prior to the time he become governor.

Faber:
Bad guys will never support Peter Obi, we know him as a Criminal.


APC Urchins how far na

Tinubuadvocate:
Us shouldn't only seize it that money should be return to federal government with immediate event

so that you people can re -loot it.

God bless United States of America

RZArecta:
at least Tinubu's own forfeiture was $460k, how can this wicked man move $1m from a state with chronic water issues ?

That money will solve Enugu water issues for ever. He will build a dam that will collect all waste water or from some rivers like Orji River, etc and then the water will be treated and channeled to different homes...

Libya no get a single river, but they get good water pass Nigeria thanks to Gaddafi. Chimaroke would have done that for Enugu people

Almost all the politicians associated with APC are shady and corrupt.

Tinubuadvocate:
Non of you are able to explain the source of peter obi prior to the time he become governor.

Go and verify...e dey there. Peter Obi is not your random politician

Is your money? Abi where the money came from in the first place.

Jostoman:
so that you people can re -loot it.

Guess this is the same judgement the thug and criminal Chimaroke Nnamani was denying knowledge of days ago? Any wonder this criminal started supporting Tinubu in recent times?

From Gandollar, Wammaco, Chimaroke, Tony Kabaka, etc, it is birds of the plumage flocking together. Hope he will be extradited to the US apart from forfeiting the loots like Tinubu’s drug bargain case?

omenka:
Time for them to chop his head off and place it on a spike in the middle of the busiest road in Alaigbo because he dared to tell his people the truth!

Igbos hate anyone that tells them what exactly their problem is, including their own sons and daughters.

My STFU! Everyone know how Chimaroke Nnamani instituted the reign of terror to heavily embezzled Enugu State funds to acquire Ebeano Housing Estate and other fraudulently acquires assets that were retrieved from him by the EFCC.

Sane people in alaigbo don't condone any shitty emilokan kind of criminal because of nah our person. Orji Uzor Kalu, Ekweremadu, Andy Ubah collect am wotowoto.I brought you here to confirm your doubts and clear your warped mindset.

Tomorow this same man will ask us to vote his compatriot......

Imagine the caliber of men supporting thiefnubuu

Vampires, murderers, thieves


Thiefnubuu is cursed

Tell me that stupid thing isn't a criminal.

Faber:


Go and verify...e dey there. Peter Obi is not your random politician

Faber:


1 million dollars na your mate...he is in coma right now, make I go his TL go ask him how far

E shock me o

Faber:


That money will solve Enugu water issues for ever. He will build a dam that will collect all waste water or from some rivers like Orji River, etc and then the water will be treated and channeled to different homes...

Libya no get a single river, but they get good water pass Nigeria thanks to Gaddafi. Chimaroke would have done that for Enugu people

our political elite are very wicked

RZArecta:
E shock me o

I don't know why misfortune keep befalling anyone that attacks Peter Obi, I no just understand.

And some deep occultic politicians who have figured this out don't speak I'll about him anymore.

Ekweremadu
Mbaka
Tinubu
(after saying Labour party will labour to death, he lose Osun state, his health deteriorated badly)
Umahi,
(his senatorial ticket is still hanging in the air. And he is now saying he no hate Obi again, that he will even host him)
Wike
(From the day he made mentioned of Peter Obi not having character for resigning from PDP, man have never had peace)
Now Chimaroke Nnamani

Peter Obi's friend and partner in........

If this news had come before he started support Tinubu, it would have been termed victimization but now that he is supporting Tinubu, you guys will now change it to the kind of people supporting Tinubu.

People supporting tinubu are terrorist to Nigerians. All tinubu and atiku supporters are thieves, criminals, terrorists, corrupt dictorial persons, selfish people, druggie bastards, people without moral standards, persons who kills at will, kidnapers, militants, agbaros, thugs, political Godfatherism, bandits and terrorist sponsors. People who embezzled Nigerian treasury and NIGERIANS. People who put Nigerians into poverty and using poverty as a weapon, people who are hell bent on making Nigerians slaves. People who kill and mained Nigerians. Dictatorship of the highest order. People who has no regards to rule of law. People who are bent on spreading terrorists all over Nigeria, killings all over Nigeria, these are the people who are supporting Atiku and tinubu.

Enugu (and by extension, Nigerian) politicians and criminality. Ike Ekweremadu is cooling off in UK prison while this one is about to get roasted by a US court.

These people have truly sold their souls to the devil. $41.8 million can set up a transformational digital hub in Enugu and turn the state capital to Africa's #1 SMARTest city.

Peter Obi has told you the things we need to know about his pasts and even dared anyone to investigate his records but certain people who are perhaps cursed are hell-bent on retaining the old order.

Imagine leaving Abuja treasury for the likes of Chimaroke, Andy Uba, James Ibori, the Babariga thief in Kano, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu under one umbrella?? How can you and your tenth generation prosper under this arrangement?? The old order has nothing to offer Nigeria as an entity.