Luxury Preston Estate Back on the Market

PRESTON – A Preston property with a colorful history is back on the market, courtesy of Uncle Sam.

Once owned by a prominent Caroline County businessman who requested that his name be left out of this story, the $3 million property at 4218 Harmony Road and currently owned by the U.S. government, has been listed since late October 2025 with Coldwell Banker Realty in Salisbury.

But before it landed on the market again, it was owned briefly by Janet Yamanaka Mello, then 57, a civilian Army employee who stole over $108 million from a grant program and lived an extravagant lifestyle until she was found out.

The program she scammed was designed to provide services to military dependents and their families.

Then 57, Mello was sentenced July 23, 2024, to 15 years in prison for five counts of mail fraud and five counts of filing a false tax return.

"Mello's penchant for extravagance is what brought her down,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan of IRS Criminal Investigation's Houston Field Office.

“We identified that her reported income was well below the lavish lifestyle she lived,” Tan said. “As we uncovered the details, the criminal scheme grew, the dollar amount grew, and the reach of her spending grew.”

The 58-acre Preston estate features a 9,364 square-foot main residence with five bedrooms, six full and three half baths, and a saltwater infinity swimming pool. The luxury garages can accommodate 55 vehicles. It was built in 2004; she purchased it for $3.1 million in August 2023. The property is currently listed at $2,999,000.

But this property was only one of Mello’s real estate purchases. In all, she bought 26 properties in five states – Maryland, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Washington state – altogether “easily worth more than $10 million,” according to Realtor.com.  

According to court documents, Mello worked as a financial program manager for the U.S. Army, Installation Management Command – G9 (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) Child and Youth Services (CYS) at Fort Sam Houston.

In or around December 2016 through at least August 29, 2023, Mello formed a business she called Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development (CHYLD). The sole purpose of CHYLD was to receive grant funds from the 4-H Military Partnership Grant program, which Mello fraudulently secured by way of her position as a CYS financial program manager.

“Janet Mello betrayed the trust of the government agency she served and repeatedly lied in an effort to enrich herself,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas.

Once Mello received a grant check, she deposited the check into her bank account, spending the money on clothing, jewelry, vehicles and real estate. Court documents indicate that Mello repeated the process 49 times during a six-year period, requesting approximately $117,000,000 in payments, and receiving approximately $108,917,749.

“Rather than $109 million in federal funds going to the care of military children throughout the world, she selfishly stole that money to buy extravagant houses, more than 80 vehicles and over 1,500 pieces of jewelry,” Esparza said. “Her actions reflect exactly the opposite of what it means to serve your country, and my office will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute those who illegally seek personal gain at the expense of their fellow citizens.”

Subsequently, Mello failed to accurately report her income for tax years 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, omitting millions of dollars in income fraudulently received through CHYLD.

“Corruption and fraud in U.S. Army programs jeopardize the safety and security of our Soldiers and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge Maria Thomas for the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Central Texas Field Office.  “When discovered, fraudulent activities by Army employees will not be tolerated, and those involved will be brought to justice.”

"Financial crimes have victims, and this one took opportunities away from the children and families of our military men and women," Tan said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas, declined to comment further on the case for this story.

To see photos of the Preston property, visit realtor.com.