Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (US v. One Michael Jackson Signed Thriller Jacket)(US Chapter)

Case Summary
In the civil forfeiture matter United States v. One Michael Jackson Signed Thriller Jacket, No. 2:11-CV-03582 in the Central District of California, and related cases, the United States alleged that Obiang Mangue, who in 2011 was Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and received an official government salary of less than $100,000, used his position and influence to amass more than $300 million worth of assets through corruption and money laundering, in violation of both U.S. and Equatoguinean law.

Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, then -Second Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, and the United States settled this litigation in 2014. Pursuant to the terms of the 2014 settlement agreement, Obiang Mangue was required to sell a Malibu, California, mansion that he purchased for $30 million, a Ferrari automobile and various items of Michael Jackson memorabilia, and to contribute $1 million representing the value of other property.

In February 2010, the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released an extensive investigative report which concluded that "from 2004 to 2008, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, son of the President of Equatorial Guinea, has used U.S. lawyers, bankers, real estate agents, and escrow agents to move over $110 million in suspect funds into the United States. The assets involved in the California suit included a Malibu mansion on Sweetwater Mesa Road, a 2011 Ferrari, and Michael Jackson Memorabilia; the Washington, DC suit involves a Gulfstream G-V private jet.

In 2021, the United States Department of Justice announced agreements to distribute $19.25 million in settlement funds to the United Nations for the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and $6.35 million to Medical Care Development International (MCDI) for the purchase and distribution of medicines and medical supplies throughout Equatorial Guinea as part of the implementation of a civil forfeiture settlement.

Disposition of Criminal Case(s)

At time of reporting (2021), there was a concluded investigation/prosecution related to this case in the country of asset location (United States). The outcome was the settlement resulting in a portion of funds forfeited and a portion made part of a settlement fund subject to return by agreement of the parties.

UNCAC Offenses Implicated
  • Article 17. Embezzlement, misappropriation or other diversion of property by a public official
  • Article 20. Illicit enrichment
  • Article 23. Laundering of proceeds of crime
Public Official(s) involved or allegedly involved

Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (First Vice President of Equatorial Guinea)

Vice President/Vice Prime Minister

Sectors Involved

Agriculture/Forestry/Fisheries

Professional intermediaries Involved, or allegedly involved

Riggs Bank

Geographic Reach

Country of Origin: Equatorial Guinea
Country of Asset Location: United States
Country that initiated legal action to recover proceeds of corruption: United States

Asset Recovery Process

Asset Recovery Start: 2004
Action Initiating Asset Recovery: By domestic investigation by law enforcement authorities (independent from foreign request)
Stage of Asset Recovery: Assets returned
Authorities involved in the asset recovery/return process: In the US, the prosecuting authority was the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. Courts involved were the US District Court for the Central District of California; US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Legal Basis for Asset Recovery in the country of asset location: Non-conviction based confiscation (NCB), Out-of-court Settlement Agreement
Manner of Asset Transfer: Wire transfer to a designated account held by a third party
Contributing Factors in Asset Recovery: Other

Assets
Assets returned

#1
Assets returned: 26,000,000.00 USD
Date of return: January 2021
#2
Assets returned: 10,000,000.00
Date of return: January 2021
Asset Type at Time of Return: Cash/bank deposit
Agreement for Returned Assets: Yes – another agreement
Monitoring and Disbursement Arrangements: There were special arrangements regarding the monitoring and disbursement of returned assets. As provided in the agreement, $10.3 million of these settlement funds were to be forfeited to the United States and the remaining settlement funds would be distributed to a charity or other organization for the benefit of the people of Equatorial Guinea. The Department of Justice has committed to returning the forfeited funds for the benefit of the people of Equatorial Guinea.

In September 2021, the United States Department of Justice announced an agreement to use approximately $19.25 million of the settlement funds in a program where the UN will purchase, store, distribute, and administer COVID-19 vaccines to at least 600,000 people of Equatorial Guinea. In addition, $6.35 million was given to Medical Care Development International (MCDI), a charitable organization in Silver Spring, Maryland, to manage the purchase, storage, distribution, and delivery of additional medicines and medical supplies throughout Equatorial Guinea as part of the implementation of the civil forfeiture settlement agreement.

Assets Confiscated

#1
Date of confiscation: 2014
Jurisdiction: United States
Asset Type at Time of Confiscation: Cash/bank deposit
USD Conversion date: September 2023



Need Help With Your Asset Recovery? No Problem.
At Atlantis Asset Recovery, our team works with you to ensure the highest quality of claims management to deliver maximum net recovery.