The founder of a west Michigan nonprofit that helped preschoolers in underserved communities has been sentenced for fraud and tax evasion, officials said.
Nkechy Ezeh was given 70 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Jarboua this week for fraud, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey said Wednesday.
Ezeh was also given 60 months in prison for tax evasion, VerHey said, and she will serve the term concurrently with her first sentence. The judge ordered Ezeh to begin serving her sentence immediately, according to authorities.
Furthermore, the judge ordered the 61-year-old to pay $1.4 million in restitution to the victims of the fraud and pay the IRS $390,174 in restitution, VerHey said.
“Nkechy Ezeh’s greed is beyond reprehensible,” he said. “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.”
Ezeh’s attorney, Takura Nyamfukudza, was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.
However, he said in a sentencing memo submitted to the court that his client “accepts responsibility for her actions with deep humility and great remorse. And she is already willingly and actively doing all she can to atone for her (indiscretions) by continuing to serve in any capacity she can find.”
‘Needy children lost valuable resources’
Authorities said Ezeh founded the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, a Grand Rapids nonprofit that provided meals, transportation, funding, advocacy, and other services to preschoolers in underserved communities.
Nyamfukudza said his client started the nonprofit in 2010 and remained its CEO until 2023, when it closed. “She is devastated that the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative was forced to close its doors,” he wrote.
The Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative received funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education, and private donors.
Investigators alleged Ezeh used money stolen from the nonprofit to pay for her lifestyle as well as a relative’s wedding. She also allegedly used the stolen money for trips to Hawaii, Europe, and Africa.
Prosecutors said the nonprofit was forced to close and lay off its 35 employees because of the fraud. “Many West Michigan preschools lost funding, and needy children lost valuable resources,” they said.
Federal agents also said Ezeh gave family members no-show jobs at the nonprofit, which paid them hundreds of thousands. Authorities said she sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen money to her family in Nigeria.
Amy DeLeeuw, who was the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative’s president and treasurer, said she and the nonprofit’s other board members are grateful the saga has come to an end.
“We are relieved to be at the end of this long and difficult road,” she said in a statement on behalf of the board. “The theft of millions of dollars perpetrated by Nkechy Ezeh and a co-conspirator left hundreds of children and families without the necessary resources to prepare for kindergarten and educational success beyond. The devastation Nkechy caused truly has no measure and will be felt for generations to come.”
DeLeeuw said the board is grateful the court has held Ezeh accountable for her actions.
“We applaud the diligence and tenacity of Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler and his office for their thorough investigations that finally led to justice being served today.”
Downfall
Born in Nigeria and a naturalized U.S. citizen, Ezeh was the 2018 West Michigan Woman of the Year, a two-time appointee to the state’s Early Childhood Investment Corporation’s Executive Committee, and a tenured professor of education, officials said.
Ezeh’s attorney said in his memo that she was so focused on helping others that she made poor decisions.
Nyamfukudza also said she has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, is taking medication for the disorders, and has started therapy.
In addition, Ezeh, he said, has suffered great loss in the last couple of years. Among those is the loss of her son, former University of Michigan linebacker Obi Ezeh, who died in 2024.
He also said she is grappling with health issues.
“This is all pushing her as close to her breaking point as she has ever been,” the lawyer’s memo said. “And many in her life are concerned for her physical and mental well-being.”
Ezeh pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and a count of attempting to evade federal income tax, according to court documents. The wire fraud charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and up to five years for tax evasion.
Her co-conspirator, Sharon Killebrew, the nonprofit’s former bookkeeper, was sentenced in November 2025 to 54 months in federal prison for her role in the scheme, officials said.
“This case underscores the seriousness of misusing federal grant funds for personal gain,” Thomas Ethridge, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, said in a statement.
Ezeh is among Michigan residents recently accused of wire fraud.
Last week, a Detroit man accused of bilking the government out of millions in federal student aid pleaded guilty to charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 1.
Earlier this month, a Detroit man was ordered to stand trial for allegedly stealing others’ identities and defrauding the state of $400,000 in pandemic relief.
Last month, a Harper Woods man was convicted of stealing more than $60,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
@CharlesERamirez
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Feds: Michigan nonprofit’s ex-CEO stole money meant for kids
Reporting by Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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