GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The former finance director of a nonprofit that prepared Grand Rapids children for kindergarten pleaded guilty Wednesday in an embezzlement scheme that forced the agency’s closure.
Sharon Killebrew, 69, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Lansing to conspiracy to commit an offense and tax evasion.
From 2016 through 2023, Killebrew and a co-conspirator embezzled $1.17 million from the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, according to federal court documents.
The ELNC Board of Directors issued a statement Wednesday following Killebrew’s plea.
“We applaud the diligent work of federal investigators that led to Ms. Killebrew’s admission of her actions," board spokesperson Mary Ann Sabo wrote. “We remain hopeful she and her co-conspirator will face appropriate sentencing for the crimes alleged against them – financial crimes that resulted in nearly 400 families with children aged 4 and younger losing critical access to free early childhood education and kindergarten readiness programming.”
The ELNC board terminated Killebrew and the agency’s founder and CEO, Nkechy Ekere Ezeh, after an internal investigation exposed the embezzlement in 2023. Ezeh has not been charged criminally.
“These two individuals are responsible for the betrayal of vulnerable families and the loss of employment for 30 workers in the Grand Rapids, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo communities,” Sabo continued. “We hope the U.S. Attorney’s Office will never stop pursuing justice on behalf of all those who have been wronged.”
The federal charges against Killebrew carry up to five years in prison each and three years of supervised release. Under the plea agreement, if Killebrew cooperates fully with investigators, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said it will not fight a request for a reduced offense level and therefore a lesser sentence.
Killebrew is also required to pay restitution, including $1,170,935 for the conspiracy charge and $292,471 for the tax evasion.
Her sentencing in federal court is scheduled for Nov. 4.