Nigerian Professor Admits to $1.4m NGO Fraud, Money Laundering in U.S. Court

A prominent Nigerian-born academic, Nkechy Ezeh, has admitted guilt in a United States federal court over a wide-ranging fraud and money-laundering scheme involving more than $1.4 million in public and donor funds.

Ezeh entered a plea agreement days after her arrest by federal agents, acknowledging responsibility for wire fraud and tax evasion linked to a nonprofit organisation she founded and led, the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC). The organisation provided early childhood education support to low-income communities before shutting down amid financial irregularities.

Court filings show that funds meant for early learning programmes were diverted for personal use, including international travel and other private expenses. Investigators also found that substantial portions of the money were wired outside the United States, with Nigeria identified as a major destination.

As part of the scheme, Ezeh conspired with her former bookkeeper to generate false invoices and channel payments through shell entities. Authorities said the arrangement enabled sustained embezzlement over several years while masking the true use of the funds. The bookkeeper has already been convicted and is serving a federal prison sentence.

Prosecutors further disclosed that Ezeh failed to declare significant personal and business income over a five-year period, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes.

The ELNC board described the plea as a necessary step toward accountability, noting that the fraud forced the closure of programmes serving vulnerable children in several Michigan communities.

Ezeh has agreed to pay full restitution covering the misappropriated funds and tax losses. She is expected to formally enter her guilty plea before a federal judge in January 2026. Sentencing will follow, with the fraud charge carrying a potential prison term of up to 20 years, while tax evasion attracts additional penalties under U.S. law.