A Army worker faces multiple decades of prison time for allegedly stealing over $100 million from the military to buy luxury cars, jewelery and more than thirty homes using falsified receipts and expenses.
Janet Yamanaka Mello (57) was a civilian financial manager at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas when, in 2016, she set up a fake company to allegedly help military children.
The 4-H Military Partnership Grant was intended to provide military children with services. Federal prosecutors claimed that Mello instead used the money to enrich herself.
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Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio. Janet Mello (57), a civilian employed on the military base, has been charged with theft of more than $100,000,000 in Army funds.
A DOJ press release stated that “Mello is alleged to have stolen more than $100,000,000 of Army funds through the submission of fraudulent paperwork indicating an entity under her control was entitled for funds from the Army.”
A federal complaint claims that the 4-H program was designed to “provide meaningful youth development opportunities for children with military connections”. Mello was responsible for determining whether funds were available to support the 4-H program.
Mello’s supervisor then signs off on the distribution to the applicants of the funds.
Authorities said that once Mello’s application was approved, she directed the funds to be sent to the mailbox of a UPS store near San Antonio, which she had rented. She then deposited the check into her bank account.
The DOJ stated that “Mello” had gone through the process more than forty times over a period of six years, and she was able to secure over $100,000,000 in the process.
(Getty Image/File).
Federal prosecutors claim that Mello did not use the money to provide services but instead spent millions on jewelry, clothing and vehicles. She also bought real estate. The San Antonio Express News reported that she allegedly bought 31 pieces of property in Colorado, Maryland New Mexico Texas and Washington.
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Mello has been charged with five counts for mail fraud, four counts for engaging in a financial transaction of more than $10,000 using proceeds from criminal activity and one count aggravated identity theft after allegedly falsifying “on numerous occasions” the digital signatures of her supervisors.
Mello appeared before Federal Court on December 14, according to the DOJ.
Fox News Digital contacted the Army and Mello’s attorney to get their comments.