A United States federal court in Michigan has sentenced Nigerian-born education professor Nkechy Ezeh to 70 months in prison over a $1.4 million fraud scheme involving funds meant for preschool 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 to the victims and $390,174 to the Internal Revenue Service.
She was immediately taken into custody after sentencing.
Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou described Ezeh during sentencing as “a fraud and a thief,” while calling the scheme “brazen and widespread.”
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, Ezeh diverted funds from the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, a nonprofit organization she founded.
The program reportedly received both public and private funding to provide meals, transportation, and educational support services for preschool children in underserved communities.
Federal prosecutors stated that Ezeh used the organization’s funds for personal expenses, including travel, family-related spending, and wedding costs.
Investigators also alleged that she placed relatives on the organization’s payroll and transferred money to family members in Nigeria through intermediaries.
US Attorney Timothy VerHey strongly criticized the fraud, saying the scheme harmed vulnerable children and families who relied on the program.
“She stole taxpayer and private donor dollars meant for low income children in our community,” he said.
Authorities said the nonprofit’s 2023 collapse resulted in the loss of educational services for children and led to the dismissal of 35 employees.
Court records revealed that the fraud scheme allegedly operated between 2017 and 2023 alongside co-conspirator Sharon Killebrew.
Killebrew had earlier been sentenced in November 2025 to 54 months in prison for her involvement.
The investigation was conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the IRS Criminal Investigation.