Nigerian professor sentenced to 70 months in US prison for $1.4m fraud

A United States federal court has sentenced Nigerian-born former nonprofit chief executive, Dr Nkechy Ezeh, to 70 months in prison for orchestrating a $1.4 million fraud scheme involving taxpayer and donor funds meant for vulnerable preschool children.

The sentencing was announced on Wednesday by the Office of the US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, following proceedings before Chief US District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou.

The court also imposed a concurrent 60-month sentence for tax evasion and ordered Ezeh to pay $1.4 million in restitution, alongside an additional $390,174 to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Ezeh, 61, from Kent County, Michigan, was the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC), a West Michigan nonprofit organisation that provided early childhood services to underserved communities.

She also previously served as an Associate Professor of Education and Director of Early Childhood Education at Aquinas College.

During sentencing, Judge Jarbou described her conduct as that of “a fraud and a thief,” adding that the scheme was “brazen and widespread,” involving funds meant for some of the most vulnerable children in the region.

Prosecutors told the court that Ezeh diverted funds meant for low-income families into personal use, including luxury travel to Hawaii, Europe and Africa, as well as funding a family wedding.

She was also accused of maintaining a “ghost payroll,” through which relatives were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for little or no work, and using intermediaries to transfer stolen funds to family members in Nigeria.

US Attorney Timothy VerHey condemned the act, describing it as “beyond reprehensible,” stressing that public and donor funds meant for children were instead used for personal enrichment.

The nonprofit, which was funded by US federal programmes including Head Start and the Department of Education, as well as private donors, shut down in 2023 following the fraud scandal, resulting in job losses and disruption of services to several preschools.

A co-conspirator, Sharon Killebrew, a former bookkeeper at the organisation, had earlier been sentenced to 54 months in prison for her role in the scheme.

US authorities said the case highlights ongoing concerns about the abuse of federal grants and its impact on vulnerable children and communities.

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