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Woman who stole almost $109 million from Army to buy mansions, jewelry and cars sentenced to prison
CBS News ^ | JULY 24, 2024 | Emily Mae Czachor

Posted on 07/24/2024 11:56:31 AM PDT by Red Badger

A woman has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for stealing more than $100 million from a grant program meant to support military children and families, authorities said.

Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, was convicted on five counts of mail fraud in addition to five counts of filing a false tax return for the convoluted scheme, which she carried out over the course of six years while employed by the United States Army, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas.

Mello worked as a financial manager for the Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, specifically focusing on child and youth services, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.

She formed a business in December 2016 called Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development that was essentially used as a front for the scam. Collecting funding through a military grant initiative was the businesses' sole purpose, and Mello was able to fraudulently collect millions through it because of her position in the Army.

Instead of using the grant money given to her business to provide the youth and family services that Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development claimed to offer, Mello would deposit grant checks into her own personal bank account and spend the money on various luxuries, including clothing, vehicles and real estate, prosecutors said.

Mello allegedly used grant money to buy lavish properties and 82 vehicles — including a Maserati, a Mercedes, a 1954 Corvette and a Ferrari Fratelli motorcycle — and in one instance used the funds to purchase $923,000 of jewelry in a single day in 2022, the Associated Press reported.

Prosecutors said Janet Mello used millions of dollars in military grants to purchase luxury items, including a Ferrari motorcycle. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/CBS AUSTIN

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In 49 individual instances of fraud over the six-year period where her business was in operation, authorities said that Mello requested $117 million in grant payments during that period and received close to $109 million. To cover up the scam, she also falsely reported her income for the tax years 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

"Janet Mello betrayed the trust of the government agency she served and repeatedly lied in an effort to enrich herself," said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza in a statement. "Rather than $109 million in federal funds going to the care of military children throughout the world, she selfishly stole that money to buy extravagant houses, more than 80 vehicles and over 1,500 pieces of jewelry."

Esparza said his office "will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute those who illegally seek personal gain at the expense of their fellow citizens."

Defense attorney Albert Flores told the Associated Press that Mello was deeply remorseful.

"She realizes she committed a crime, she did wrong and is very ashamed," Flores said. He also told AP that Mello saved many of the items she bought with the stolen funds and hopes they are resold to reimburse the government. Flores said the defense does not intend to appeal the court's decision, according to AP.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: Texas
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1 posted on 07/24/2024 11:56:31 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Silly me, I thought the headlines were referring to Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska.


2 posted on 07/24/2024 12:01:49 PM PDT by patriot torch (..)
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To: Red Badger

I’m pretty sure only politicians and their relatives get to do that.


3 posted on 07/24/2024 12:02:15 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: Red Badger
images

Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57

4 posted on 07/24/2024 12:03:34 PM PDT by PGR88
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To: Red Badger

So when does Patrisse Cullors (BLM) get sentenced?


5 posted on 07/24/2024 12:04:27 PM PDT by Right Brother (From Biden to Harris. From pee pads to kneepads.)
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To: Red Badger

Gotta always give The Big Guy his cut.


6 posted on 07/24/2024 12:05:10 PM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: Red Badger

Did anyone audit the books?


7 posted on 07/24/2024 12:05:59 PM PDT by Maine Mariner
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To: patriot torch

😁


8 posted on 07/24/2024 12:06:08 PM PDT by Right Brother (From Biden to Harris. From pee pads to kneepads.)
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To: Red Badger
Sort of like with CAF funds that the police claim are going for "community programs". Nah. But they do give banger bonuses to the thieves err.... officers who took it from the innocent public.
9 posted on 07/24/2024 12:09:04 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear ( Roses are red, Violets are blue, I love being on the government watch list, along with all of you.)
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To: Red Badger

Who are the people who should have been auditing the Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio during the six years she was stealing program funds?! And who were the auditors’ managers who reviewed their reports?!

Did the building have a slightly sloped roof, which kept the auditors from doing their job?!?


10 posted on 07/24/2024 12:12:22 PM PDT by Carl Vehse
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To: Red Badger

Think about all those that DIDN’T get caught...............


11 posted on 07/24/2024 12:12:33 PM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: Red Badger

Another foreign national import?


12 posted on 07/24/2024 12:17:27 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: PGR88

Nice clown eyebrows. I bet she spent at least $50K of the imbezzled funds on eyebrow pencils alone.


13 posted on 07/24/2024 12:19:53 PM PDT by Sicon ("All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - G. Orwell>)
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To: Red Badger

Mello was deeply remorseful ... that she got caught, convicted, and sentenced to prison ...


14 posted on 07/24/2024 12:27:03 PM PDT by catnipman ((A Vote For The Lesser Of Two Evils Still Counts As A Vote For Evil))
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To: catnipman

Mello yellow?....................


15 posted on 07/24/2024 12:30:46 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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To: Red Badger

Financial manager for the Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation

The government must not believe in inspectors for their departments no wonder how the deep state was formed.

Go along to get along mum is the word.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


16 posted on 07/24/2024 12:42:12 PM PDT by Vaduz
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To: PeterPrinciple

Politicians are very careful with our money.


17 posted on 07/24/2024 1:02:27 PM PDT by ActresponsiblyinVA
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To: Maine Mariner

What kind of controls could possibly have been in place that someone could steal 100 million before anyone notices.


18 posted on 07/24/2024 1:10:08 PM PDT by circlecity
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To: patriot torch

👍😁


19 posted on 07/24/2024 1:24:25 PM PDT by ANKE69 ( Beware of zeeper doxxing !!!!!! )
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To: Red Badger

Nothing like hiding your ill gotten gains but by flaunting it. What was her yearly salary, maybe 100K?


20 posted on 07/24/2024 1:55:03 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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