Woke Whitmer appointee from Nigeria admits to day-care scam, stealing millions from Michigan taxpayers



Minnesota is hardly the only state whose kindness to migrants from the third world has been abused. Michiganders, too, have apparently opened their arms to foreign-born fraudsters who are more than happy to steal from their host state's most vulnerable residents.

Nkechy Ezeh, a woke Nigerian who served as a professor at Aquinas College until 2023, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a scheme that bled taxpayers for $1 million and forced an organization that funded early learning initiatives for poor kids to close.

'Her theft of millions of dollars intended for the most vulnerable of children was brazen, all-encompassing, and unconscionable.'

Ezeh could face up to 20 years in prison for the fraud charge and another five years for tax evasion — a charge to which she also pleaded guilty on Wednesday.

In the years since she migrated to the U.S., Ezeh has complained about "structural racism" while being showered with awards and opportunities.

In 2018, for instance, the West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards named her woman of the year. In 2020, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Ezeh to the executive committee of Michigan's Early Childhood Investment Corporation. In 2021, Aquinas College honored the Nigerian fraudster with its Distinguished Service Award.

The acclaim and upward mobility evidently weren't enough for Ezeh, who decided to live a jet-set lifestyle at taxpayers' expense.

According to a 2023 whistleblower complaint, Ezeh used various interrelated organizations to funnel hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to herself as well as to friends and family members while serving as CEO of the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative.

RELATED: Somali terror group cashing in on your tax dollars? Minnesota's child-care fraud whistleblowers warned about a decade ago.

Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

The ELNC was a nonprofit in Grand Rapids that Ezeh — who claimed in a 2022 profile that "injustice makes me cry" — founded with the purported aim of providing state "funding, advocacy, and high-quality early childhood educational services to families, children, and neighborhoods that are more 'at-risk or vulnerable.'"

The complaint filed against Ezeh indicated that she funneled funds from the ELNC with the help of the nonprofit's bookkeeper, Sharon Killebrew, who secretly paid herself nearly $1 million between June 2017 and April 2023.

Court documents reviewed by WOOD-TV indicate that Ezeh not only created nearly $500,000 in fake invoices with Killebrew but created two fake day-care businesses to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to herself and others.

Ezeh reportedly used some of the stolen taxpayer money to pay for trips to Hawaii, Liberia, and Nigeria for herself and others.

ELNC sued Ezeh and Killebrew in September 2023, but by that time, the damage was done. ELNC had to close its doors on account of the financial impact of the duo's embezzlement and fraud, which meant the loss of both 35 jobs and a source of support for numerous Michigan families.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler, the victims of the the fraud committed by Ezeh — who has been touted as a "champion for poor black and brown kids" — "were mostly children of color under the age of five years old, 72% of whom lived below the federal poverty level in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Kent County, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek."

Killebrew initially insisted she was innocent, claiming she "didn't steal anything." However, when confronted with the mountain of evidence to the contrary, she pleaded guilty in June. Killebrew was sentenced to 54 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution.

Like her accomplice, Ezeh initially denied her guilt but has since admitted to embezzling over $1 million.

The Nigerian fraudster's attorney, Mary Chartier, told MLive/the Grand Rapids Press, "Ms. Ezeh is committed to taking full responsibility and accountability for her actions. She is deeply remorseful to anyone who has been negatively impacted."

Amy DeLeeuw, the president of the apparently defunct nonprofit, stated that she was "disappointed by Nkechy Ezeh’s failure to meaningfully articulate the nature and scope of her criminal misconduct during her change of plea hearing today. Her theft of millions of dollars intended for the most vulnerable of children was brazen, all-encompassing, and unconscionable."

"To date, Nkechy has made no effort to repay any of the millions of dollars she stole from ELNC," continued DeLeeuw. "I trust Nkechy’s demeanor at today's hearing did not go unnoticed by Chief Judge Hala Jarbou. I and the board will have more to say in our victim impact statement and look forward to her sentencing hearing on May 13."

Ezeh has reportedly agreed to pay $1.4 million in restitution to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Early Head Start programs and other agencies that gave grants to the ELNC as well as nearly $400,000 in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Whitmer's office did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

Aquinas College confirmed that Ezeh retired in May 2023 and told Blaze News that the college is not in a position to comment on Ezeh's outside endeavors.

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Michigan's El-Sayed Boasted of Refusing To Face American Flag for National Anthem During Iraq War

Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in the Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat, boasted that, when he was a college athlete, he refused to face the American flag during the national anthem because he opposed the Iraq war.

The post Michigan's El-Sayed Boasted of Refusing To Face American Flag for National Anthem During Iraq War appeared first on .

First rule for surviving Michigan winter? A daily walk with my kids



I walk with my kids every single day.

Or at least I try to walk with them every single day. Sure, there are some days we miss; soccer practice or a doctor’s appointment might get in the way every once in a while. Then there's weather (light rain is doable; torrential downpour less so) and illness.

Though our winter walks aren’t as pleasant as our other walks, it doesn’t mean they aren’t as important. Our winter walks are good for the soul and good for the spirit.

But as long as none of those things occur, our two oldest kids and I get our daily two miles in.

Tramps like us

We are blessed to live on the edge of a small town in Northern Michigan, so getting out and into the natural world isn’t too difficult. We walk out the front door, about 10 minutes down the street, and have our choice of trails and cornfields to traverse.

In the spring, it’s soggy. The cool damp air filled with the smell of nearly blooming flowers, the patter of light rain on the leaves above, the sound of mud squishing beneath our boots. There’s a certain way spring smells. It’s fresh foliage. It’s new life. Refreshing.

In the summer, the walks are so nice. We walk in the late afternoon, when the sun is hot and the shadows are growing, before the mosquitos are out and after my work is done for the day. By the time we get back home, dinner is just about ready to be put on the grill.

Our walks in the fall are glorious. There’s something about those first days of chilly weather. They are so refreshing after the sweaty heat of the summer. They come slowly and gradually over a few weeks in late September. Slowly the shorts are put away, the corduroys are brought out, jackets are zipped up, and out we go for our walk in that beautiful world of orange, red, and yellow.

Cold comfort

The winter walks are tough. The cold is unrelenting, the snow is deep, and the wind is almost always strong. In our region of the deep North, we don’t get much sun in the winter. Almost every day, the sky is a mix of gray, cobalt, and steel. It’s not uncommon for us to go a week or more without a single glint of sun.

So on these days — and these are our current days — we bundle up nice and tight with sweaters, snow pants, heavy jackets, balaclavas, and mittens and head out on our daily walk.

I would be lying if I said the walks these days are easy like the walks on the warm days. We talk a little less on these winter walks. It’s hard to properly articulate one’s thoughts through a scarf or a balaclava. It’s hard to hear kids’ voices over the whipping of the wind. It’s also just not that pleasant to converse when you are standing in the middle of a frozen field and the temperature is hovering around 11 degrees with a windchill of -6.

Frozen moments

Though our winter walks aren’t as pleasant as our other walks, it doesn’t mean they aren’t as important. Our winter walks are good for the soul and good for the spirit. The cold makes us strong, and as is the case for most things that make us strong, there is a part of us that hates the process.

But it’s good for us. The cold and the walk. It’s good to make yourself do hard things, and it’s good to start doing them at a young age. And it's good to do them in each other's company.

That’s actually the most important thing of all. That’s why I do the walks in the first place, so I can be away from my computer and my phone. So I can spend time with the kids, just walking.

Sometimes I think about how my kids will remember their childhoods. How will they look back on these days? How will they think about mom and dad when they are on their own? What stuff will they remember, and what stuff will they forget? What things will stick with them and characterize us, their parents?

RELATED: Eden's Wild Whisper

Peter Gietl

Winter's tale

I can’t predict it and neither could my parents. I had a great childhood, but I don’t remember that much of it. Sure I remember a lot. But do I remember 18 years' worth? No. Some stuff just sticks with us, and some just doesn’t.

Nevertheless I would love it if my kids remember our afternoon walks together. It makes me happy to imagine them in their 30s, reminiscing about their childhoods to their own kids:

“Dad always used to walk with us every day. It was so cold sometimes. He was crazy for that. But it was good for us. I remember walking with my sister — your aunt — a few steps behind your grandpa, trying to keep up. We would throw snow at each other, goof off and fall behind, and then dad would turn around and tell us to hurry up because we have to get back for dinner.”

Someday my kids will break away to take their own paths. At times, that day seems a long way off; other times, I'm afraid it will be here in the blink of an eye. Until then, we'll keep putting one foot in front of the other, together.

Dad fires gun outside son's middle school after being denied entry, prompting lockdown: Cops. Later he curses out judge.



A Michigan father is accused of firing a gun outside his son's middle school earlier this week after being denied entry, which prompted a lockdown.

Police in Romulus — which is about a half hour southwest of Detroit — said Shawntez Marshaun Gregory, 44, just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, drove to Romulus Middle School, approached the front doors, and told the school secretary through the intercom, "I am here to get my son. I want my son now!"

'This case is every parent’s nightmare.'

Police said the secretary recognized Gregory as someone who'd been barred from school property and reportedly displayed unstable behavior in the past — and that in this instance, he was "extremely upset" and had a gun.

With that, police said the secretary called 911 and put the school on lockdown. The secretary then heard gunshots, dropped to the floor, and told 911 he was trying to gain entry to the school by "shooting at the locks," police said.

Police said arriving officers took Gregory into custody, recovered a gun, and found seven spent rounds.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Gregory with multiple felonies, including false report or threat of terrorism; intentional threat to commit act of violence against school, school employees, or students with specific intent to carry out or overt act; carrying a concealed weapon; possession of a weapon in a weapons-free school zone; reckless use of a firearm; and two counts of felony firearm in connection to the incident, WXYZ-TV reported.

Prosecutors told the station that Gregory was about a foot away from the building when he fired the gun seven times — but not directly at the school.

“This case is every parent’s nightmare," Worthy said in a statement, WXYZ said, adding that no one was harmed.

What's more, in regard to police saying the secretary recognized Gregory as someone who'd been barred from school property, it turns out he had a no-trespassing order from the school and was not allowed near his son since Gregory also has been accused of attempting to kidnap him, the station said.

RELATED: Mom 'barged into' third-grade classroom, threatened and cursed out teacher, blocked door preventing teacher, students from leaving: Report

Then came Gregory's arraignment on Thursday at 34th District Court, WXYZ said.

With Judge Lisa Martin presiding, WDIV-TV reported that Gregory swore 14 times, told the judge to get a real job, put his fingers in his ears, and said it was the “the fakest s**t I’ve seen in my life.”

He also refused to answer the judge's questions, WXYZ said.

During the virtual hearing, Martin asked Gregory to state his name for the record, and he replied by saying, “Nope, good f**king bye. Don’t need to talk to me, quit f**king playing with me," WDIV replied.

RELATED: Dad enters HS classroom, confronts student for allegedly bothering his daughter. Dad now charged for making threats, assault.

As bond was being discussed, WDIV said Gregory stated, “This is the fakest s**t I’ve seen in my life. ... You’re going to actually act like this, huh? That s**t is fake. Sorriest s**t and racist in my life. Bunch of racists doing stuff. So I’m done. I’m done talking. We can go, and I can go back and get ready to go back home now. I’m done playing around.”

Gregory then verbally attacked the judge, WDIV said: “You are one of the dumbest black person [sic] I’ve seen in my life, about the dumbest [expletive] I’ve seen in my life. I hate to say that because it’s some racist right here. I hate to say that, though, but don’t waste my time. There’s a racist right here, so don’t waste my time, no more. Tired of f**king with all of y’all. So don’t waste my time.”

The judge then adopted the police department’s recommendation and remanded Gregory without bond, WDIV said.

“Why don’t you get a real job?" Gregory added to the judge, according to WDIV. "Go get a real job."

Gregory remained Friday in the Wayne County Jail.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 20, WDIV reported.

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Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Identified Himself as an Egyptian Citizen When He Became a Columbia Professor. Now His Campaign Says He 'Made a Mistake.'

As an assistant professor at Columbia University, Abdul El-Sayed said he held dual U.S.-Egyptian citizenship. El-Sayed is now running for a Michigan Senate seat, and his campaign says that was a mistake—he's not an Egyptian citizen and never has been.

The post Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Identified Himself as an Egyptian Citizen When He Became a Columbia Professor. Now His Campaign Says He 'Made a Mistake.' appeared first on .

Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Compared an Oklahoma Ban on Sharia Law to the Trail of Tears

The left-wing candidate in the Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat, Abdul El-Sayed, compared a move to ban Sharia law in Oklahoma to the Trail of Tears.

The post Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Compared an Oklahoma Ban on Sharia Law to the Trail of Tears appeared first on .

Michigan Election Integrity Warriors Stop ‘Disastrous’ Ranked-Choice Voting Drive

'... Our leaders uncovered an army of Michiganders eager to join our opposition once they learned the truth about Ranked Choice Voting,' Patrice Johnson said.

In Deleted Social Media Posts, Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Repeatedly Drew Equivalence Between 9/11 and the US Response

Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in the Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat, repeatedly drew an equivalence between 9/11 and the ensuing war on terror in since-deleted posts on X and a 2021 op-ed, arguing that both were "perpetrated ignorantly" and driven by "tribalistic grievance."

The post In Deleted Social Media Posts, Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Repeatedly Drew Equivalence Between 9/11 and the US Response appeared first on .

Another Chinese researcher busted for allegedly smuggling crop-harming biomaterial into America



Federal agents charged another Chinese national with allegedly trying to smuggle biological materials into the United States.

On Friday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the agency had filed charges against Youhuang Xiang, a postdoctoral researcher who is in the country on a J-1 visa.

'To all universities and their compliance departments: Please be vigilant of this trend.'

These visas are issued to exchange visitors approved to participate in certain programs, such as studying or conducting research, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. J-1 visas are provided to professors, research assistants, and students.

Xiang allegedly smuggled Escherichia coli, commonly referred to as E. coli, into the country. He is also accused of making false statements about the smuggling scheme.

Patel explained that E. coli, when not properly controlled, can "inflict devastating disease to U.S. crops and cause significant financial loss to the U.S. economy."

Xiang was listed on Indiana University's website as a postdoctoral fellow. His "research interests" included "recognition specificity in host-pathogen interactions and engineering crop resistance to pathogen," according to the website. As of Friday afternoon, the university removed Xiang from its Department of Biology webpage.

RELATED: University of Michigan's bio-smuggling scandal explodes: More Chinese scholars busted in alleged plot

Kash Patel. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

"This is yet another example of a researcher from China — given the privilege to work at a U.S. university — who then allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package originating from China," Patel wrote in a post on social media.

The FBI director noted that the agency and Customs and Border Protection partners "are committed to enforcing U.S. laws put in place to protect against this global threat to our economy and food supply."

RELATED: University of Michigan now under fire after Chinese scholars allegedly smuggle bio-weapon

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

"The FBI will not tolerate any attempt to exploit our nation's institutions for illegal activity — as we have seen in this case and the three Chinese nationals charged in Michigan in November for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the U.S. on several occasions," Patel continued. "The FBI and our partners are committed to defending the homeland and stopping any illegal smuggling into our country."

Patel was referring to several Chinese scholars from the University of Michigan who were accused earlier this year of being tied to a smuggling conspiracy. Some of the biological materials the individuals allegedly brought into the U.S. were described as potential agricultural terrorism weapons.

"To all universities and their compliance departments: Please be vigilant of this trend. Ensure your researchers know that there is a correct and legal way to obtain a license to import/export approved biological materials, and it must be followed without exception. Our continued partnerships will help to better secure our nation and ensure all parties are held accountable," Patel wrote.

Indiana University did not respond to a request for comment.

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Michigan Democrat Candidate Fantasizes About Hurling Beers At Justices Barrett, Kavanaugh

Democrats love to proclaim that their side doesn’t have a political violence problem. But if that’s true, then why do so many of them keep fantasizing about harming their conservative opponents? The latest incident showcasing the left’s penchant for violence involves Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow, who got busted on video dreaming about harming Supreme Court […]