Army worker stole $100 million from grant program, used it to live lavishly, feds say

[rangerrebew]

 
The Charlotte Observer
Army worker stole $100 million from grant program, used it to live lavishly, feds say
Story by Lauren Liebhaber, The Charlotte Observer  •
1d


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.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/army-worker-stole-100-million-from-grant-program-used-it-to-live-lavishly-feds-say/ar-AA1ldRNW

[rangerrebew]

I think a posh cell at Leavenworth for 40 or 50 years would be appropriate.  Wait a minute!  Is the prosecutor a Soros implant?

[mountaineer]

IRS flagged San Antonio woman accused of stealing $103 million from Army
By Guillermo Contreras, Staff writer
Jan 9, 2024

In early December 2023, a federal grand jury indicted a former civilian government worker, Janet Mello, on charges that she stole more than $100 million intended for a 4-H program for children of military families. The IRS discovered the alleged scheme and partnered with the Army to investigate, according to court documents.

Janet Mello, who’s charged with bilking the Army of more than $100 million, came to the attention of federal investigators after the IRS flagged her as a possible tax cheat, according to court filings.

Mello is accused of setting up a shell company to fraudulently collect money from a 4-H program for military families. She was a civilian Army employee at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston whose duties included helping administer the 4-H initiative.

She created the company, called Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development, or CHYLD, in 2016 and included it in her 2017 personal tax forms, according to a new court filing. She reported that her company earned a profit of $483 on revenue of $2,152 for training consultations. ...

What a hideous story. Read the whole thing at: Express News

[Smokin Joe]

I wonder how many new pairs of socks that would have bought our troops? Or 155mm shells?



Not to mention stealing the programs from the children of our soldiers.

Greedy b*tch.

[rangerrebew]

Con artist accused of stealing $100M from Army to buy 31 homes, luxury cars: report
By Social Links forNicholas McEntyre
Published Jan. 11, 2024, 4:16 a.m. ET
 
A Texas woman faces nearly 150 years in prison after she defrauded the US Army out of $100 million, allegedly using the funds to purchase over 30 homes, luxury cars and jewelry through the seven-year-long scheme.

Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, who worked as a civilian financial program manager at Fort Sam Houston, hatched a plan in 2016 to create a business titled “Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development” so she would siphon funds she received from the Army to herself.

“Mello allegedly stole more than $100 million in Army funds by regularly submitting fraudulent paperwork that indicated an entity she controlled was entitled to receive funds from the Army,” according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

The alleged fraudster began her scamming in 2016 when she created the bogus business called “Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development (CHYLD),” according to the San Antonio Express-News.

https://nypost.com/2024/01/11/news/texas-woman-janet-yamanaka-mello-accussed-of-defrauding-us-army/

[Free Vulcan]

Stole that much and only got caught when she screwed up on her taxes.

Are there any internal checks in the military these days? Makes you wonder how many more trillions have gone down the rat hole.

[mountaineer]

BPR
@BIZPACReview
Con artist who allegedly stole $100M from US Army, buys 31 homes, will keep full benefits: ‘She earned it’

A civil servant who allegedly conned the U.S. Army out of $100 million gets to retire with full benefits, thanks to a federal law and government red tape.

Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, was flagged by the IRS for living a lavish lifestyle while earning a government salary of just $122,996.

That may sound like a comfortable income, but Mello managed to squeeze 31 luxury homes, a fleet of big-ticket cars and motorcycles, plenty of designer clothes and blingy jewels, and trips around the world out of those six figures — a skill that earned her a criminal investigation.

“It is one of the Army’s worst-ever theft cases,” the San Antonio Express-News reported.

But, according to an attorney for Mello, who was indicted on mail fraud and related charges in December, she “earned” her retirement benefits, and there’s nothing the military can do to prevent her from collecting them.

“The command has no authority to impact Ms. Mello’s retirement,” an Army spokeswoman told the Express-News. “In accordance with 5 U.S. Code Section 8312, an individual may be denied an annuity or retired pay on the basis of the service of the individual, if the individual is convicted of treason, rebellion or insurrection, or other similar offenses. There is no similar statutory authority for denying retired pay based on a conviction of other offenses.”

“She earned it,” said attorney Albert Flores.

Referring to her criminal woes, Flores added, “I don’t see how one thing is related to the other.”

According to the New York Post, Mello “worked as a civilian financial program manager at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston” where she “hatched a plan in 2016 to create a business titled ‘Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development’ [CHYLD] so she would siphon funds she received from the Army to herself.”

According to a Department of Justice press release issued in December, “Mello claimed that CHYLD provided services to military members and their families, when, in reality, CHYLD did not provide any services. The indictment alleges that Mello instead used the funds to buy millions of dollars in jewelry, clothing, vehicles, and real estate. Additionally, Mello is alleged to have falsified the digital signature of one of her supervisors on multiple occasions.”

“Mello is charged with five counts of mail fraud, four counts of engaging in a monetary transaction over $10,000 using criminally derived proceeds, and one count of aggravated identity theft,” the release stated.

Mello pleaded not guilty at her first court appearance in December, but Flores suggested there would be a quick end to the criminal case, the Express-News reports.

“We expect a large portion of the assets will be recovered,” he said, “In other words, a lot of the money was spent on tangible assets that the government can (recoup) — real estate, cash, vehicles, properties, things of that nature. We’re being very cooperative in anything we can to turn that over.”

More than $18 million in cash “from six different accounts connected to Mello,” were seized by authorities, according to The Post.

The accused con purchased 31 properties in Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington, and “at least 80 vehicles,” the outlet states.

If convicted, Mello faces up to 142 years in prison.

10:29 AM · Jan 29, 2024