A United States federal court has sentenced a Nigerian-born academic, Nkechy Ezeh, to 70 months’ imprisonment for orchestrating a $1.4 million fraud scheme involving funds meant for vulnerable preschool children.
Ezeh, 61, was convicted by a federal court in the Western District of Michigan, where she was also handed a concurrent 60-month sentence for tax evasion.
The presiding judge, Hala Y. Jarbou, ordered the convict to pay $1.4 million in restitution as well as $390,174 to the Internal Revenue Service.
Ezeh, a former Associate Professor of Education at Aquinas College, was found guilty of diverting funds from a nonprofit she founded—the Early Learning Neighbourhood Collaborative—meant to support early childhood education in underserved communities.
Delivering judgment, Jarbou described the convict as “a fraud and a thief,” noting that the scheme was “brazen and widespread,” and targeted resources meant for some of the most vulnerable children.
The US Attorney for the district, Timothy VerHey, said the convict misappropriated taxpayer and donor funds for personal luxury.
He said, “Instead of helping children, she spent the money on herself. The stolen funds could have supported hundreds of families in West Michigan.”
Investigations revealed that Ezeh spent the proceeds of the fraud on personal trips to Hawaii, Europe and Africa, as well as a family wedding. She was also found to have placed relatives on a “ghost payroll,” paying them large sums for little or no work.
Prosecutors further disclosed that she used intermediaries to funnel part of the stolen funds to family members in Nigeria.
The nonprofit, which relied on funding from US federal programmes including Head Start and the Department of Education, collapsed in 2023 following the discovery of the fraud. The development led to the loss of funding for several preschools and the dismissal of about 35 employees.
A co-conspirator and former bookkeeper in the organisation, Sharon Killebrew, had earlier been sentenced to 54 months in prison for her role in the scheme.
Authorities said the case underscores the devastating impact of fraud on publicly funded programmes, particularly those designed to support low-income and vulnerable children.
Ezeh was remanded in federal custody immediately after sentencing.
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