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A United States (US) district court in Michigan has sentenced Nkechy Ezeh, a former executive director at Early Learning Neighbourhood Collaborative (ELNC), to 70 months in prison for having orchestrated a fraud scheme that stole $1.4 million in taxpayer and donor funds intended for vulnerable preschool children.
Hala Jarbou, the district judge, described Ezeh as a “a fraud and a thief ” who engaged in a “brazen and widespread” scheme to steal money meant for “most vulnerable children” in West Michigan.
Ezeh, an associate professor of education, is the founder of ELNC, a non-profit organisation funded by the US Department of Health and the Department of Education, as well as private donors, to provide meals, transportation, funding, advocacy, and other services to children in underserved communities.
According to a statement released by the US government, the trial judge ordered Ezeh to pay $1.4 million in restitution to the victims of the fraud and $390,174 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The judge sentenced her to a concurrent prison term for evading income taxes.
In December 2025, the associate professor pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion. According to the plea agreement, Ezeh admitted that “from at least 2017 through 2023, she conspired with Sharon Killebrew and others to devise a scheme to defraud and obtain $1,400,000” from ELNC.
The US government said ELNC closed its doors in 2023 due to fraud, as many West Michigan preschools lost funding and needy children lost valuable resources. The non-profit organisation also laid off its 35 employees without notice.
Sharon Killebrew, ELNC’s former bookkeeper and Ezeh’s co-conspirator, was sentenced in November 2025 to 54 months in federal prison for her role in the scheme. Commenting on the judgment, Timothy VerHey, US attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said Ezeh spent the donor funds intended for children on herself rather than helping kids.
“Nkechy Ezeh’s greed is beyond reprehensible; she stole taxpayer and private-donor dollars meant for low-income children in our community. Instead of helping kids, she spent that money on herself. The stolen money could have supported hundreds of West Michigan children and their families. Judge Jarbou’s sentence was perfectly appropriate,” VerHey said.
The investigation was conducted by HHS-OIG and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler serving as the prosecutor.
