by WorldTribune Staff, February 6, 2026 Real World News

A Nigerian immigrant who was appointed by Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to a state executive committee faces over 20 years in prison on wire fraud and tax evasion charges in a scheme that defrauded Michigan taxpayers out of over $1 million, according to a report by MLive.

Nkechy Ezeh pleaded guilty last month after being charged with embezzling money that had been intended for the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC), a non-profit early childhood education program for disadvantaged children which she founded.

“Ezeh created nearly $500,000 in fraudulent invoices and established two fictitious daycare businesses to mask the movement of stolen funds,” Business Day reported. “The embezzled money reportedly financed a lavish lifestyle, including international travel to Hawaii, Liberia, and Nigeria.”

The nonprofit closed in 2023 after Ezeh and former Director of Finance and Administration Sharon Killebrew were accused of embezzling more than $2.5 million. Killebrew was sentenced to four years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud a federally funded program, according to MLive.

Ezeh was appointed by Whitmer to the Michigan Childhood Development Board.

In a 2022 interview with Voyage Michigan, Ezeh decried “structural racism” as a problem immigrants had to overcome in the United States. As she put it, “with hard work, prayer, and the support of your immediate family, you keep going. I had to navigate the American system.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler spoke about who was harmed by Ezeh’s crimes: “The victims were mostly children of color under the age of five years old, 72 percent of whom lived below the federal poverty level in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Kent County, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek.”

The Western Journal’s Samuel Short noted: “Yes, indeed, the black immigrant complaining about racism was found to have been lining her pockets at the expense of poor minorities.”

Amy DeLeeuw, president of the ELNC, did not hold back her anger with Ezeh, MLive reported:

“Her theft of millions of dollars intended for the most vulnerable of children was brazen, all-encompassing, and unconscionable,” DeLeeuw said. “To date, Nkechy has made no effort to repay any of the millions of dollars she stole.”

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  Report: Nigerian immigrant charged in Michigan fraud scheme, WorldTribune.com