US court jails Nigerian-born nonprofit boss over $1.4m preschool fraud

A United States federal court has sentenced Nigerian-born former nonprofit executive, Dr Nkechy Ezeh, to 70 months in prison for masterminding a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving funds meant for vulnerable preschool children.

The sentence was handed down by Chief US District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou, according to a statement released by the Office of the US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.

Ezeh, 61, who founded and led the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, was convicted over the diversion of approximately $1.4 million in taxpayer and donor funds allocated to support children from low-income communities.

The court also imposed a concurrent 60-month sentence for tax evasion and ordered her to repay $1.4 million in restitution, along with an additional $390,174 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Judge Jarbou described the fraud as “brazen and widespread,” stressing that the stolen funds were intended to support vulnerable children and families.

Federal prosecutors said Ezeh misused nonprofit funds for personal luxury expenses, including international trips to Hawaii, Europe and Africa, as well as costs linked to a family wedding.

Authorities also accused her of placing relatives on the organisation’s payroll and paying them substantial sums for little or no work.

Court documents further alleged that portions of the stolen funds were transferred to family members in Nigeria through intermediaries.

The Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, based in West Michigan, provided early childhood education services and support programmes in underserved communities through funding from the US Department of Education, Head Start programmes and private donors.

Before founding the nonprofit, Ezeh served as an Associate Professor of Education and Director of the Early Childhood Education Programme at Aquinas College.

According to prosecutors, the fraud scandal led to the closure of the nonprofit in 2023, resulting in the loss of preschool funding and the dismissal of about 35 employees.

US Attorney Timothy VerHey said the diverted funds could have supported hundreds of children and struggling families but were instead used for personal enrichment.

The court ordered that Ezeh be immediately remanded in federal custody following sentencing.

A former bookkeeper at the organisation, Sharon Killebrew, had earlier been sentenced to 54 months imprisonment for her role in the scheme.

The investigation was conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation unit, while Assistant US Attorney Clay Stiffler prosecuted the case.