A Nigerian-born education professor and former nonprofit executive in Michigan, Nkechy Ezeh, has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison after being found guilty of orchestrating a $1.4 million fraud scheme involving funds meant for vulnerable preschool children.
Ezeh received a 70-month prison sentence from Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou, along with a concurrent 60-month term for tax evasion. She was immediately remanded into custody following the ruling.
Prosecutors with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan said Ezeh misappropriated taxpayer and donor funds intended for low-income children through the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC), a nonprofit she founded to support early childhood services such as meals, transportation, and educational assistance.
During sentencing, Judge Jarbou condemned her actions in strong terms, describing the scheme as “brazen and widespread” and referring to Ezeh as “a fraud and a thief.”
The court also ordered her to repay $1.4 million to victims and an additional $390,174 to the Internal Revenue Service.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey criticized the conduct, saying the funds were diverted away from children who depended on them for essential support. He stated that the stolen money could have benefited hundreds of families in West Michigan.
Authorities further alleged that Ezeh used the illicit funds to sustain a personal lifestyle, including travel to destinations such as Hawaii, Europe, and Africa, financing a family wedding, and routing money to relatives through what investigators described as a network of “money mules” in Nigeria. Prosecutors also said she placed family members on a ghost payroll.
Before her conviction, Ezeh was a well-known figure in Michigan’s education and nonprofit sector, having been named West Michigan Woman of the Year in 2018, serving on state early childhood committees, and holding a tenure-track academic position.
The fraud ultimately led to the collapse of ELNC in 2023, resulting in the loss of critical services for disadvantaged preschool children and the layoff of 35 employees.
