Hattiesburg, Miss - Michael Janus, 47, of Biloxi pled guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of federal program fraud in connection with a $3 million grant from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to the City of D’Iberville, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen.
Janus admitted that, while serving as City Manager for the City of D’Iberville, he fraudulently obtained a $180,000 “finder’s fee" in connection with the MDEQ grant.
Janus will be sentenced on May 6, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office. Criminal Division Chief John Dowdy, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Rushing and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Golden are prosecuting the case.
If you believe you have been a victim of fraud from a person or an organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of storm victims, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud toll free at:
(866) 720-5721
You can also fax information to:
(225) 334-4707
or e-mail it to:
disaster@leo.gov
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
