A civilian employee of the United States Army has been charged with allegedly stealing more than $100 million in Army funds while working as a financial program manager at Fort Sam Houston in Texas.
Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, was charged with 10 counts related to the fraud scheme by a federal grand jury in San Antonio last month, a Department of Justice release states.
According to court documents, Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, allegedly stole more than $100 million in Army funds by regularly submitting fraudulent paperwork that indicated an entity she controlled, Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development, was entitled to receive funds from the Army.
Mello claimed that CHYLD provided services to military members and their families when it did not provide any services. The indictment alleges that she instead used the funds to buy millions of dollars in jewelry, clothing, vehicles, and real estate.
She is also alleged to have falsified the digital signature of one of her supervisors on numerous 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.
Mello faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each fraud charge, up to 10 years in prison for each spending statute charge, and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charge if she is convicted.
The indictment also includes a notice of forfeiture for the proceeds and property that Mello obtained as a result of the criminal conduct alleged.
The IRS Criminal Investigation and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division continue to investigate the case.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.