Former D’Iberville City Manager Pleads Guilty to Federal Program Fraud Charge
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 10, 2014 |
HATTIESBURG, MS—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 10 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.