A professor used $185K in research grants on strip clubs, iTunes and more, officials say
>Chikaodinaka D. Nwankpa
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/17/drexel-professor-stripclubs-fraud/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories-2_drexelprof-745pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans
A former Drexel University professor allegedly spent research money on adult entertainment venues instead of approved studies, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.
Chikaodinaka D. Nwankpa, 57, was arrested Monday and charged with theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception for stealing $185,000 in research grants, according to state prosecutors. It was unclear which subjects the grants were supposed to cover.
The former chair of the Drexel University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering spent more than $96,000 on area strip clubs and sports bars, in addition to $89,000 on food and iTunes purchases, the district attorney’s office said in a statement.
A university audit showed the longtime professor, who spent nearly three decades at the school, made numerous, unapproved purchases between 2010 and 2017 that he tried to be reimbursed for through research grants, according to state prosecutors.
Nwankpa did not respond to requests for comment.
The professor tried to hide his midnight and early-morning strip club visits as catering and food expenses, according to the district attorney’s office. The numbers showed that nearly 50 percent of his 114 separate transactions were made on weekends, and 63 percent of those charges were processed between midnight and 2 a.m., state prosecutors said.
Larry Krasner, the city’s district attorney, said Nwankpa betrayed the university and its students.
“After a comprehensive investigation by our office’s Economic Crimes Unit, Mr. Nwankpa will have his day in court and will have to answer for his crimes,” Krasner said in a statement Tuesday.