Nkechy Ezeh, a former professor and nonprofit executive who was born in Nigeria, has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fraud scheme involving a Michigan-based early childhood education organization.
The case involves the misappropriation of funds meant for programs supporting low-income families and children. Ezeh, who built her career in the United States with a focus on early childhood development and community service.
Ezeh was showered with accolades prior to the fraud probe, and was also appointed to a state position by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
She earned a doctorate and worked as a professor at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, until her retirement in May 2023. In 2010, she founded the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, a nonprofit that provided funding, advocacy, and educational services to at-risk families and children in underserved areas, including Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek.
The organization supported agencies offering early learning programs, meals, and transportation for preschool-aged children.
Over its years of operation, it assisted approximately 8,000 children, with a particular emphasis on those from low-income households, 72 percent of whom lived below the federal poverty level.
In 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Ezeh to the executive committee of the Michigan Early Childhood Investment Corporation, a state entity tasked with coordinating and funding early childhood programs across Michigan. This position involved providing oversight and strategic input on initiatives to improve access to quality early education for young children in the state.
The fraud investigation uncovered that Ezeh, while serving as CEO of the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, diverted funds from the organization between 2017 and 2023. She worked with the nonprofit’s bookkeeper, Sharon Killebrew, to generate nearly $500,000 in fraudulent invoices.
Ezeh also set up two fictitious daycare businesses to channel funds to herself, family members, and associates. The embezzled amount exceeded $1 million, drawn from taxpayer-funded grants and subsidies, including those from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Early Head Start programs and the state’s Great Start Readiness Program.
These resources were intended for educational services, meals, and transportation for disadvantaged preschoolers.
Some of the misappropriated funds were used for personal expenses, such as travel to Hawaii, Liberia, and Nigeria. Killebrew, in a related matter, paid herself nearly $1 million during the same period and was sentenced to 54 months in prison.
The fraud led to the closure of the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative in 2023, resulting in the loss of 35 jobs and the end of services for many families in Michigan’s economically challenged neighborhoods. In September 2023, the organization filed a lawsuit against Ezeh and Killebrew to recover the losses.
Ezeh agreed to a plea deal on December 29, 2025, and entered her guilty plea on January 14, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou in the Western District of Michigan. She pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of tax evasion.
The wire fraud charge relates to the electronic transmission of fraudulent financial documents, while the tax evasion involves unreported income from the scheme. Under the agreement, Ezeh has committed to paying $1.4 million in restitution to the affected government agencies and nearly $400,000 in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.
Sentencing is set for May 13, 2026. Ezeh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and an additional five years for tax evasion.
