A Texas woman who pleaded guilty to charges of stealing nearly $109 million from a youth development program for children of military families has received her punishment.
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- 1 A Texas woman who pleaded guilty to charges of stealing nearly $109 million from a youth development program for children of military families has received her punishment.
- 2 57-Year-Old Janet Yamanaka Mello worked as a financial program manager for the U.S. Army, Installation Management Command – G9 (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) Child and Youth Services (CYS) at Fort Sam Houston.
- 3 Mello’s penchant for extravagance is what brought her down.
A civilian employee working for the U.S. Army in Texas has caused a stir after reportedly stealing hundreds of millions of dollars that were intended to support military families. The woman is alleged to have used the embezzled funds to finance her lavish lifestyle, and has even earned herself the moniker “Gucci Goddess” as a result.
57-Year-Old Janet Yamanaka Mello worked as a financial program manager for the U.S. Army, Installation Management Command – G9 (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) Child and Youth Services (CYS) at Fort Sam Houston.
In a press release, it was revealed that from December 2016 to at least August 29, 2023, Mello established a business under the name Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development (CHYLD). The primary objective of CHYLD was to obtain grant funds from the 4-H Military Partnership Grant program, which Mello deceitfully obtained due to her role as a CYS financial program manager.
According to court documents, Mello deposited the grant check into her bank account and utilized the funds to purchase clothing, jewelry, vehicles, and real estate. Over the course of six years, she went through this process 49 times, requesting a total of $117,000,000 in payments and receiving around $108,917,749.
Inaccurate reporting of income has been a recurring issue for Mello, as she failed to report her income correctly for tax years 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. This failure resulted in millions of dollars of income fraudulently received through CHYLD being omitted from her tax reports.
Mello’s penchant for extravagance is what brought her down.
Mello indulged in extravagant purchases with the funds, splurging on one lavish item after another. He acquired an impressive collection of over 31 properties spread across the country, and a fleet of more than 80 vehicles. He also bought a staggering 1,500 pieces of jewelry, spending a whopping $923,000 on jewelry in a single day in 2022.
On Tuesday (July 23), she was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in March to five counts of mail fraud and five counts of filing a false tax return.
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