Ex-Drexel Professor Chika Nwankpa Accused of Stealing 185k Federal Grant Money & Spending It on Personal Expenses

While government funds were released for research purposes, the former chairman of the engineering department at Drexel university deemed it fit to use the funds to meet his personal needs.

This university professor has proven that he cannot be trusted with university funds; neither can he be a suitable role model for university students.

The former head of Drexel University's Engineering department was discovered to have misappropriated up to $185,000 government funds allocated for research purposes.

He didn't just misappropriate the funds; he used it to entertain himself as he spent it all in strip clubs, sports bars, on meals, and luxury purchases on his iTunes account.

He was recently charged to court with theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception. This is what the district attorney had to say concerning his disgraceful acts:

"Mr. Nwankpa inappropriately and criminally diverted tens of thousands of dollars that were allocated for research purposes toward his own private enjoyment. He betrayed Drexel University and tuition-paying students he was paid to educate."

It came to light that Mr. Nwankpa had been in the business of stealing from the University for years now. Reports show that he started misappropriating funds from 2010 till 2017.

He stole grant money from the Navy, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

"After being confronted by the university officials, the Professor admitted his criminal acts."

The University did not treat the matter lightly.

the sum of $189,000 to settle any civil liability they were likely to incur.

Also, since the discovery of the theft, they have cooperated and worked closely with the government to enable them to get to the bottom of the matter. The University's spokeswoman said,

"...The University initially reported this situation to the US Attorney's Office and has worked cooperatively with federal and state investigations into the matter."

the theft after carrying out an internal audit in 2017. The audit revealed several unauthorized purchases with no receipts issued.

They immediately alerted the government authorities, and Professor Nwankpa was placed on administrative leave while investigations were carried out.

After being confronted by the university officials, the Professor admitted his criminal acts. He agreed to pay back the sum of $ 53,328 and resigned from office.

He was released on bail last week and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on the 29th of this month. He stands the chance of spending 14 years in prison if found guilty on both counts.