Non-profit embezzler sent to prison for stealing over $280,000 from employer

HOUSTON - A 49-year-old former administrative assistant for the Katy Area Economic Development Council (KAEDC) has been sentenced for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Janet Leigh Medrano aka Janet Jackson pleaded guilty Dec. 12, 2023.

U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison has now ordered Medrano to serve 27 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Jackson was additionally ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $281,489.91. At the hearing, the court heard testimony from a KAEDC representative about how Medrano's theft left the non-profit organization on the brink of bankruptcy. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ellison noted that this was not an appropriate case for leniency. Medrano attempted to excuse her conduct by claiming she had difficulty providing for her family. Judge Ellison dismissed the claim by stating he had heard from thousands of individuals with much more desperate financial situations.

From 2014 to 2019, Medrano worked as an administrative assistant for KAEDC. Beginning in 2016 until her termination in 2019, Medrano stole from the organization using four different schemes. When KAEDC confronted Medrano, she attempted to hide her crime by providing altered bank statements to cover the ongoing theft.

Further investigation revealed Medrano was not telling the truth and had stolen over $280,000 from KAEDC.

Medrano was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Lu prosecuted the case.