‘Brazen and widespread’: Former nonprofit CEO stole millions intended for vulnerable Michigan preschool children

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The 2018 West Michigan Woman of the Year will spend more than five years in federal prison for her role in a fraud scheme that stole more than $1 million meant for vulnerable school children.
On Wednesday, May 13, Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou sentenced Dr. Nkechy Ezeh to 70 months in federal prison for what the judge called a “brazen and widespread” scheme. Ezeh was also ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution to the victims of the fraud and $390,174 to the IRS.
According to authorities, Ezeh founded Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, or ELNC, a nonprofit funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Early Head Start program, the U.S. Department of Education, and private donors.
The nonprofit provided meals, transportation, funding, advocacy, and other services to children in preschools located in underserved communities.
It reportedly served more than 400 vulnerable families.

Authorities say Ezeh placed family members on a payroll that caused ELNC to pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars for little or no work. She also used money mules to wire hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen funds to family members.
Prosecutors said Ezeh used the stolen money to fund her lifestyle, pay for a family member’s wedding, and travel to Hawaii, Europe, and Africa.
Due to the fraud, ELNC was forced to close its doors in 2023, laying off 35 employees without notice and causing multiple West Michigan preschools to lose funding.
Ezeh was also sentenced to a concurrent prison term of five years for evading income taxes.