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Conwoman accused of stealing $100 million from U.S. Army freed without bail

January 11, 2024 | | Print Article

A conwoman who allegedly stole $100 million from the U.S. Army has reportedly been released without bail by a Texas judge.

“Judge Richard B Farrer did not deem [Janet Yamanaka] Mello a flight risk — despite her previously residing in Guam — so he ordered her to be released after processing,” the Daily Mail exclusively reported.

“This means she didn’t have to pay a bond fee – and instead just gave her word that she will be present for all court appearances, documents from December 14 show,” according to the tabloid outlet.

Who exactly is Mello? She’s a 56-year-old woman who worked as a civilian financial program manager at Fort Sam Houston when she devised a plot to steal money from the Army.

The plot began in December of 2016 when she formed a shell company, Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development, that she claimed would provide services to members of the military and their families.

“However, prosecutors claim the shell organization offered no such services. Instead, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is alleging Mello used the millions to fund a lavish lifestyle of ‘jewelry, clothing, vehicles, and real estate,'” according to the San Antonio Express-News.

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She reportedly obtained millions by falsifying the digital signatures of one of her bosses on several occasions.

“Checks were delivered to a mailbox rented by Mello, and deposited into accounts she managed and owned,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes. “Officials say Mello did this more than 40 times in a six-year span.”

The plot continued for the full seven years, during which she reportedly amassed $100 million in wealth and used it to fund an assortment of lavish luxuries, including mansions, sports cars, and more.

The Daily Mail claims it was originally the IRS that flagged Mello for scrutiny because her million-dollar home purchases didn’t match her paltry salary.

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“Their criminal investigations division worked with army investigators as they put the pieces of the puzzle together – before Mello was criminally indicted in December 2023,” the Daily Mail notes.

She’s now facing a large slew of charges.

“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,” according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

“If convicted, 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,” the press release continues.

Put together, that comes up to a maximum sentence of 142 years in prison.

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According to The Messenger, she has until Jan. 19th to accept a plea deal or face a trial set to begin on Feb. 12th.

In an email to The Messenger, her defense attorney Albert Flores said, “It is very early in the case and I expect the evidence to be extensive. We will need time to review it. I do not believe that the case will be resolved by those initial dates.”

The Express-News likewise notes that, as part of the criminal indictment handed down against her, she’ll be forced to hand over anything and everything she bought with the stolen money.

Responding on social media to her indictment and arrest, critics were quick to lay some of the blame on the government itself.

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Vivek Saxena
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