HOUSTON (Covering Katy News)—A former Katy Area Economic Development Council employee will serve 27 months in federal prison for wire fraud.
Janet Leigh Medrano, 49, who also goes by Janet Jackson, pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2023, and was recently sentenced by Judge Keith Ellison at the U.S. federal courthouse in downtown Houston.
Federal prosecutors say Medrano nearly drove the Katy EDC out of business by stealing more than $280,000 from her employer over three years. A Katy EDC representative told the court that Medrano put the non-profit organization on the brink of bankruptcy.
Medrano was also ordered to pay $281,000 in restitution.
Medrano began working for the Katy EDC in 2014. Prosecutors say the theft occurred from 2016 until her termination in 2019.
"When Katy EDC managers confronted Medrano, she attempted to hide her crime by providing altered bank statements to cover the ongoing theft," U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said.
Prosecutors say Medrano attempted to excuse her conduct by claiming she had difficulty providing for her family. Judge Ellison dismissed her excuse, saying he had seen much more desperate financial situations where people did not act criminally. In handing down the sentence, Ellison said her crime was not an appropriate case for leniency.
Medrano was permitted to remain free on bond. She must voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Lu prosecuted the case.