A United States federal court in Michigan has sentenced Nigerian academic, Dr Nkechy Ezeh, to 70 months in prison after finding her guilty of orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme that diverted funds meant for vulnerable preschool children.
The ruling was delivered by Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou, who described the 61-year-old professor as “a fraud and a thief,” condemning what she called a “brazen and widespread” scheme that exploited public and donor trust.
Court documents showed that Ezeh, based in Kent County, Michigan, stole approximately $1.4 million in taxpayer and donor funds that were originally allocated to support early childhood education programmes for low-income families.
In addition to the prison term, she also received a concurrent 60-month sentence for tax evasion and was ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution to victims, alongside $390,174 to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. She was taken into custody immediately after sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said the funds were intended for some of West Michigan’s most vulnerable children, adding that the money could have supported hundreds of families. He described the offence as a betrayal of public trust, noting that the stolen resources were instead used for personal luxury.
Investigators said Ezeh, a former West Michigan Woman of the Year and respected education professor, founded the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC), a nonprofit funded by U.S. federal education and health programmes as well as private donors.
The organisation provided essential services such as meals, transport, advocacy, and learning support for children in underserved communities before collapsing in 2023 following revelations of financial misconduct.
Authorities revealed that ELNC was forced to shut down after the fraud was uncovered, leading to the dismissal of 35 employees without notice and the withdrawal of critical services from low-income families across several Michigan communities.
Prosecutors further alleged that Ezeh diverted funds for personal use, including financing a family wedding, international travel to destinations such as Hawaii, Europe and Africa, and operating a “ghost payroll” that paid relatives for little or no work.
She was also accused of transferring large sums through intermediaries to family members in Nigeria using money mules, in what prosecutors described as a deliberate effort to conceal the flow of stolen funds.
A co-conspirator, Sharon Killebrew, who worked as ELNC’s former bookkeeper, had earlier been sentenced to 54 months in prison in November 2025 for her role in the scheme.
U.S. authorities stressed that the real victims were not only donors and government agencies, but also thousands of children in some of Michigan’s poorest communities who lost access to essential early education support.
Federal investigators from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service led the probe, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler prosecuted the case.
Officials say the judgment underscores a broader crackdown on the misuse of federal grants and public funds, particularly in programmes designed to support disadvantaged children.
