Army worker stole $100 million from grant program, used it to live lavishly, feds say
A Texas woman is accused of stealing more than $100 million from the Army and using it to fund an extravagant lifestyle, federal officials say.
Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, of San Antonio, was charged with 10 counts related to a scheme to defraud the Army while she served as a financial program manager at Fort Sam Houston, according to a Dec. 6 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Mello’s defense attorney and the Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment from McClatchy News on Dec. 8.
In her role, Mello was responsible for determining whether 4-H Military Partnership money was available to entities that applied for the program’s grants, court documents show.
The 4-H Military Partnership program focuses on and funds positive youth development initiatives.
To execute her scheme, Mello created a fake business called Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development and used it to secure 4-H Military Partnership funding, according to court documents.
Mello submitted fraudulent paperwork approving the fake business for 4-H Military Partnership grants, which were approved by her superiors and sent to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service for payment, officials said.
“Mello played on the trust she had developed over the years with her supervisors and co-workers to secure the necessary approvals,” officials said in her indictment.
Checks were delivered to a mailbox rented by Mello, and deposited into accounts she managed and owned, according to court records. Officials say Mello did this more than 40 times in a six-year span, stealing more than $100 million, which she spent on high-end jewelry, vehicles including a Range Rover, clothing and real estate.
Mello was charged with five counts of mail fraud, four counts of engaging in a monetary transaction over $10,000 using criminally derived process and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the release.
She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 14, officials said.
This story was originally published December 8, 2023 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Army worker stole $100 million from grant program, used it to live lavishly, feds say."
