Former Drexel Professor Arrested For Spending Nearly $200,000 On Strippers and Other Personal Expenses

We previously discussed the allegations against former Drexel University professor Chikaodinaka Nwankpa, 57, for using $185,000 on adult entertainment and other personal expenses. He has now been charged criminally with theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception.  The charging documents however revealed one curious element. Many of the charges were processed during a window between midnight and 2 a.m.

The former head of Drexel’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering allegedly spent federal grant funds on trips to strip clubs and sports bars in Philadelphia. The money was taken from eight federal grants for energy and naval technology-related research for the Department of the Navy, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.  The expenses include more than $96,000 on adult entertainment venues and sports bars as well as more than $89,000 on iTunes purchases, meals and other unauthorized purchases.

When he was appointed to his position in 2015, he was celebrated for his “exceptional leadership as interim department head.”  Drexel noted at the time that “he has authored 47 refereed journal papers and 125 conference papers. This has been the result of work that has been supported by grants totaling over $10 million.”

If convicted, he faces up to 14 years in prison.