KATY, Texas – A former employee for a nonprofit in Katy is trading her desk for a jail cell after prosecutors say she embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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Janet Medrano, also known as Janet Jackson, 49, worked as an administrative assistant for the Katy Area Economic Development Council (KAEDC) from 2014 to 2019, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office - Southern District of Texas,
It wasn’t until 2016, however, court documents say, that Medrano stole from the organization with four different schemes before she was fired in 2019. When KAEDC confronted her, Medrano used fake bank statements as a coverup.
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Further investigations revealed not only was Medrano lying, but she had also stolen more than $280,000 from the nonprofit.
The 49-year-old pleaded guilty before a judge in December 2023. On Tuesday, Medrano was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for wire fraud, followed by three years of supervised release.
She also has to pay restitution for all the money she embezzled.