By Joe Palazzolo:
The Justice Department on Wednesday moved to seize a Malibu mansion, Gulfstream jet and Michael Jackson memorabilia belonging to Equatorial Guinea’s agriculture minister, who U.S. prosecutors say amassed a fortune through theft of his country’s resource wealth.
The minister, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, is the son of Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who came to power in the Middle African country of about 668,000 in a 1979 coup.
In a sweeping complaint filed in federal court in Los Angeles, the Justice Department accused Mangue of plundering billions of dollars of his country’s resource wealth to buy flashy cars, racing boats, a $38 million Gulfstream jet and the $30 million Malibu mansion.
A spokesman for Mangue didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The family has repeatedly denied stealing state funds.
