A Texas woman who stole over $100 million from a youth development grant program aimed at helping children of military families and used the money to support a luxurious lifestyle has been sentenced to federal prison. Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, pleaded guilty in March. Judge Xavier Rodriguez gave her a 15-year sentence on Tuesday. Mello was a civilian employee for the U.S. Army and worked as a financial manager for a child and youth grant program at the Fort Sam Houston Base, the New York Times reports. Part of her job was to determine whether funding was available for various organizations that applied to the grant program, called the 4-H Military Partnership Grant.
From the end of 2016 through at least August 2023, Mello formed a fraudulent business called Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development, which she used to steal Army funds by falsely claiming it provided services to military members and their families. Mello used her “experience, expert knowledge of the grant program, and accumulated trust,” to swindle her colleagues, prosecutors said. Once she received a grant check, Mello deposited it into her bank account and spent the money on “high-end jewelry, clothing, vehicles and real estate,” prosecutor Justin Simmons said. Mello and her husband purchased real estate in Texas, Colorado and Maryland, valued at $23 million. The couple also purchased a fleet of at least 82 vehicles, including cars, SUVs, motorcycles and a motor home. Mello filled out 49 applications in six years, stealing nearly $109 million. She lied on her income taxes for five years, resulting in a tax loss of over $31 million.
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