A Texas woman who pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $109 million from a youth development program for military families has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

A Texas woman who was a civilian employee of the U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison for stealing nearly $109 million from a youth development program for children of military families.

Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in federal court in San Antonio after pleading guilty in March to five counts of mail fraud and five counts of filing a false tax return.

Prosecutors say Mello, as financial manager who handled funding for a youth program at the military base, determined whether grant money was available. She created a fraudulent group called Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development.

“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 for the Western District of Texas.

  • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
    20·
    4 months ago

    A co-worker and friend of Mello’s, Denise Faison, defended Mello in a letter to the judge.

    “Janet Mello is a good, kind, caring and loving person that would do no harm to anyone,” Faison wrote. “Janet has so much more to offer the world. Please allow her to repay her debt to society by returning what she has taken but not be behind prison bars.”

    Absolutely fuck you too lady. She fucked over thousands of kids to the tune of 109 mil over 6 years so she could buy nearly $1 million in jewelry in one day, 82 cars that apprently mostly had dead batteries from neglect, and multiple mansions, and you think she should “pay off her debt” by returning just some of ithe money she stole from thousands of kids and not spending anytime in prison?